Monday, March 09, 2009

Martian moon Deimos photos by UA HiRISE


New photos of Mars' smaller moon Deimos have been released from the UA HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

According to camera PI Alfred McEwen at the UA Lunar & Planetary Lab, Deimos' surface darkens and reddens with prolonged exposure to space environment. The smooth, undisturbed surface is therefore darker and redder, while recent craters and places where regolith has moved downslope are brighter and bluer.

Deimos is only 12 kilometers in diameter. [Photo credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona]

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