Eerie Glimpse of Deimos Captured From Mars’ Surface

Mars is a quiet and desolate world. Aside from a few robotic explorers tirelessly studying its terrain, the red planet remains uninhabited and eerily still.

Echoes in the Wind

The only sound one might hear is the soft rustling of Martian winds. There are no bustling crowds or chaos—unless you’re caught in one of Mars’ massive dust storms. Yet, a recent photo taken by NASA’s Perseverance rover from the Jezero Crater captures this quietude in a way few images have.

Shot in the early hours before sunrise—precisely at 4:27 am local time on March 1, 2025—the rover used its left navigation camera to look toward the horizon. For 52 seconds, it fixated on a single point in the sky: Deimos, Mars’ smaller and more distant moon.

A Tiny Moon in the Vast Sky

Measuring only 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide and orbiting roughly 20,000 kilometers from Mars, Deimos appears as a mere speck of light from the rover’s perspective—more like a bright star than a moon.

Mars has two moons, the other being Phobos. Their names come from the sons of Ares—the Greek god of war (known as Mars in Roman mythology)—and translate to “fear” (Phobos) and “terror” (Deimos). These tiny, irregularly shaped moons continue to baffle scientists, who are eager to learn more about their origins and future trajectories.

Simulations indicate that Phobos, the closest-orbiting moon in the entire Solar System, is slowly spiraling inward. One day, it may be ripped apart by Mars’ gravity, forming a faint ring around the planet.

Scientists do not expect Deimos to share the same fate, as it orbits at a safer distance, though its long-term destiny remains uncertain. Images like this quiet, haunting snapshot taken by a lone robot on the Martian surface offer small but valuable clues that help scientists piece together the moons’ cosmic story.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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