Deimos is the smaller of Mars’s two moons. It is an irregularly shaped object that orbits the Red Planet at a relatively high altitude. Deimos is named after the Greek god of terror, and it is often described as a potato-shaped moon.

Physical Characteristics

• Size: Deimos is about 7 miles (12 kilometers) long, 5 miles (8 kilometers) wide, and 4 miles (7 kilometers) thick. It is one of the smallest moons in the solar system.
• Surface: Deimos is covered in craters, some of which are quite large. The largest crater on Deimos is Voltaire Crater, which is about 2 miles (3 kilometers) wide.
• Atmosphere: Deimos does not have a significant atmosphere. Any atmosphere it once had would have been lost to space due to its small size and low gravity.

Orbit

Deimos orbits Mars at an average distance of about 14,577 miles (23,469 kilometers). It has a relatively long orbital period of just 30.3 hours. Due to its high orbit, Deimos is not as likely to collide with Mars as Phobos.

Exploration of Deimos

Deimos has been visited by several spacecraft, including the Mariner 9, Viking 1, and Viking 2 missions. The most recent spacecraft to visit Deimos was the Mars Express orbiter, which took detailed images of the moon in 2004.

Future Missions

There are plans for future missions to Deimos. One such mission is the Phobos-Grunt mission, which was launched by Russia in 2011 but failed to reach Mars. If successful, this mission would have collected samples from Phobos and returned them to Earth for study.

Deimos is a fascinating object that offers scientists a unique opportunity to study the history of the solar system. As we continue to explore this mysterious moon, we may learn more about the formation of Mars and the possibility of life on other planets.