Phobos is the larger of Mars' two moons, per NASA.
US Space Agency NASA regularly shares stunning images from our universe, leaving the space lovers mesmerised. NASA's social media handle is a treasure trove for those who love watching educational videos and fascinating images showcasing Earth and space. Now, in its recent post, the space agency delighted its Instagram followers with a picture of a "space potato". Yes, you read that right! The image, captured by the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet, is of Phobos, the largest of Mars' two raggedy moons.
Sharing the picture, NASA wrote, "Phobos is the larger of Mars' two moons-but it's still only about 17 x 14 x 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometres) in diameter. Because Phobos is so small, its gravity isn't strong enough to pull it into a sphere (like Earth's Moon), giving it its lumpy shape."
"Phobos is also on a collision course with Mars-though it'll take a while to get there. It's nearing the Red Planet at a rate of six feet (1.8 meters) every hundred years. At that rate, the moon will either crash into Mars in 50 million years or break up into a ring," the space agency added.
Take a look below:
The space agency said the image was taken by the HiRISE camera aboard its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. "The Martian moon Phobos stands against the darkness of space. The moon is brownish-red and lumpy, pocketed with a number of craters of all sizes. A white patch is visible next to Stickney crater, a particularly large crater on its right side," NASA wrote in the image description.
The space agency shared the image just a few days back. Since then, it has accumulated more than 415,000 likes and several comments. Internet users were amazed to see the picture.
"It looks like it's made of some kind of metal," wrote one user. "Finally, we find a potato in space," commented another.
"Beautiful potato in the space," said one user. "Can we turn it into space fries," sarcastically wrote another.
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Notably, according to NASA, Phobos has no atmosphere and it orbits Mars three times a day. The other moon of the Red Planet is called Deimos. American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered both the moons of Mars in 1877. Hall named the moons for the mythological sons of Ares, the Greek counterpart of the Roman god, Mars. Phobos, which means fear, is the brother of Deimos. The crater was named after his wife and mathematician Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall.
According to NASA, the measurement of day and night temperatures on Phobos has shown extreme variations. It had a high temperature of -4 degrees Celsius and a low of -112 degrees Celsius. Scientists believe this intense heat loss is likely a result of the dust on Phobos' surface, which is unable to retain heat.