Phobos: Comparing Infrared and Visible Light Views

Two views of the Martian moon Phobos taken in both infrared and visible light by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey.
May 9, 2019
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/SSI
Language
  • english

These are two views of the same observation of the Martian moon Phobos taken in both infrared and visible light by NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter using its infrared camera, Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). The image was taken on April 24, 2019.

The top view is what Phobos looked like in the visible light spectrum, as viewed by THEMIS. The bottom view is what it looks like in infrared, which reveals temperature differences. The warmest temperatures are in the center, and the coolest are on the outer edge. A scale bar is provided to reflect the temperatures, which range from 200 to 300 degrees Kelvin, or -100 degrees Fahrenheit (-73 Celsius) to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 Celsius).

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