apod 3.8

This weeks apod posting is a photo called “Phobos from Mars Express.” The origins of Phobos is the larger of the two moons that orbit Mars . The photo above is Phobos in a flyby shot of the ESA Mars Express. This is a robotic spacecraft that began orbiting Mars In the year 2003. Phobo has a very irregular shape and is about 25 kilometers in length. Phobos does not have enough gravity to compress into a ball. The orbit is so close to mars that in the next 20 million years there will ne a tidal deceleration, and it will break up the rubble moon into a ring whose pieces will spiral downwards and crash onto the red planet. The Photobo –Brunt is a Russian space mission and is scheduled to launch the land on Phobos some day next year, this will give every a better understanding of this oddly shaped moon. As the photo expresses, the moon is strangely dark and has numerous unusual grooves. It is a true spectacular chain of craters that crosses across the image presented in front of us. This is truly a very interesting photo, and I think it is a very good idea for the moon to be labeled with a north pole, so that it is easier to put yourself in the perspective of observer. The odd shape makes this an even more interesting moon. I am very happy that I had the chance to do my apod blog on this particular photo of the day.


http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100317.html