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Deimos (moon)

Deimos
Discovery
Discovered byAsaph Hall
Discovered in1877
Orbital characteristics
Mean radius23,459 km
Eccentricity0.00033
Revolution period1d 6h 17.9m
Inclination1.79°
Is a satellite ofMars
Physical characteristics
Equatorial diameter15(×12.2×11) km
Surface areakm2
Mass1.8×1015 kg
Mean density1.7 g/cm3
Surface gravitym/s2
Rotation period1d 6h 17.9m
Axial tilt°
Albedo0.07
Surface temp.
minmeanmax
KKK
Atmospheric pressure0 kPa

Deimos ("DEE mos") is the smaller and outermost of Mars' two moons. It is the smallest known moon in the solar system, though smaller undiscovered ones undoubtedly exist around the outer planets. It was discovered on August 10, 1877 by Asaph Hall.

Deimos is composed of carbon-rich rock, much like C-type (carbonaceous chondrite[?]) asteroids, and ice. It is heavily cratered. It is probably an asteroid that was perturbed by Jupiter into an orbit that allowed it to be captured by Mars, though this theory is still in some dispute. Like most bodies of its size, Deimos is highly nonspherical with dimensions of 15×12.2×11 km.


An image of Deimos taken by the Viking 1 orbiter.
Click here for full-sized image.



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