Earth and Mars are the one two rocky planets within the Photo voltaic System to have moons.
Based mostly on lunar rock samples and pc simulations, we’re pretty sure that our Moon is the results of an early collision between Earth and a Mars-sized protoplanet referred to as Theia.
Since we do not have rock samples from both Martian moon, the origins of Deimos and Phobos are much less clear. There are two widespread fashions, however new pc simulations level to a compromise answer.
Observations of Deimos and Phobos present that they resemble small asteroids. That is in keeping with the concept that the Martian moons have been asteroids captured by Mars in its early historical past.
The issue with this concept is that Mars is a small planet with much less gravitational pull than Earth or Venus, which don’t have any captured moons. It will be troublesome for Mars to seize even one small asteroid, a lot much less two. And captured moons would are inclined to have extra elliptical orbits, not the round ones of Deimos and Phobos.
An different mannequin argues that the Martian moons are the results of an early collision much like that of Earth and Theia.
On this mannequin, an asteroid or comet with about 3 % of the mass of Mars impacted the planet. It will not be giant sufficient to have fragmented Mars, however it might have created a big particles ring out of which the 2 moons might have shaped.
This may clarify the extra round orbits, however the issue is that particles rings would are inclined to type near the planet. Whereas Phobos, the bigger Martian moon, orbits near Mars, Deimos doesn’t.
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This new model proposes an interesting middle way. Rather than an impact or direct capture, the authors propose a near miss by a large asteroid. If an asteroid passed close enough to Mars, the tidal forces of the planet would rip the asteroid aside to create a string of fragments.
A lot of these fragments could be captured in elliptical orbits round Mars. As pc simulations present, the orbits would shift over time as a result of small gravitational tugs of the Solar and different Photo voltaic System our bodies, finally inflicting a number of the fragments to collide. This may produce a particles ring much like that of an impression occasion, however with a better distance vary, higher capable of account for each Phobos and Deimos.
Whereas this new mannequin seems to be higher than the seize and impression fashions, the one solution to resolve this thriller will likely be to review samples from the Martian moons themselves.
Luckily, in 2026 the Mars Moons eXploration mission (MMX) will launch. It can discover each moons and collect samples from Phobos. So we should always lastly perceive the origin of those enigmatic companions of the Pink Planet.
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