APOD
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
18 Miles From Deimos
Explanation: Explanation : Diminutive Deimos is the smallest of the two tiny Moons of Mars. Potato shaped and barely 6 miles wide this asteroid-like body was visited by the Viking 2 orbiter in 1977. This image was made when the spacecraft approached to within 18 miles of Deimos' surface. It is one of the most detailed pictures of a celestial body ever taken by an orbiting spacecraft - the field of view is less than a square mile and features just under 10 feet across are visible. Craters and large chunks of rock are seen scattered on the surface. Some of the craters appear to have been covered by a layer of regolith (soil and broken rock).
| Date | December 22, 1996 |
|---|---|
| Credit |
18 Miles From Deimos Credit: The Viking Project, NASA |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |