A close-up photo of Mars’ moon Deimos has been released.
Space science media Space.com reported on the 24th (local time) that the Arab world’s first Mars probe ‘Amal’ flew close to Mars’ satellite Deimos at a distance of 100 km and took pictures.
The Amal probe began orbiting Deimos in late January during its commissioning phase. This close-up picture was taken last March.
Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos, and Deimos has a strange, bumpy shape. Over the years, numerous spacecraft have taken pictures of Deimos, but most have been taken from a distance of over 100 kilometers. However, this picture is the closest and clearest picture of Deimos ever.
Until now, the composition and origin of the two moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, have been shrouded in mystery. The reason is that it is difficult to know the composition of satellites because they are observed from too far away.
“Very little has yet been revealed about the origins of Phobos and Deimos,” said Hesa al-Matrush, head of the Mars Exploration Project at the United Arab Emirates Space Agency. “One old theory is that the two moons were asteroids captured by Mars’ gravity. However, he added, “This Amal exploration will provide new information about the secrets of these satellites.”
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Amal is the first Mars probe in the Arab world to enter Mars orbit in 2021, and the UAE has been named the fifth country to enter Mars orbit after the United States, Russia, Europe and India.
The Amal probe that arrived on Mars orbits around Mars once every 55 hours for a year, and analyzes atmospheric information on Mars to explore the climate of Mars. The probe is equipped with equipment that can take high-resolution pictures of Mars, as well as infrared spectrometers and ultraviolet spectrographs, so that climate changes between the upper and lower atmospheres of Mars can be measured and compared.
