As
of March 2020, our Mars
Odyssey spacecraft
has captured these six views of the Martian moon Phobos. The orbiter’s infrared
camera, the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), is used to measure
temperature variations that provide insight into the physical properties and
composition of the moon.
Chronologically, the views represent waxing, waning
and full phases of the moon. On Feb. 25, 2020, Phobos was observed during a
lunar eclipse, where Mars’ shadow completely blocked sunlight from reaching the
moon’s surface. This provided some of the coldest temperatures measured on
Phobos to date: The coldest measured was about -189 degrees Fahrenheit (-123
degrees Celsius). On March 27, 2020, Phobos was observed exiting an eclipse,
when the surface was still warming up.
All of the THEMIS infrared images are colorized and
overlain on THEMIS visible images taken at the same time, except for the
eclipse image, which is overlain on a computer-generated visible image of what
Phobos would have looked like if it wasn’t in complete shadow. Phobos is about
15 miles (about 25 kilometers) across.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/NAU
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