First high-res photos of Mars moon released

The mysterious Martian moon of Deimos has become a whole lot less mysterious, thanks to a probe sent by the UAE Space Agency. The Hope Probe, part of the Emirates Mars Mission, conducted a flyby only 100km above the moon’s surface, gathering the most detailed images yet, including of the moon’s far side. The origins of Mars’ tiny, irregular moons has been debated since their discovery. The prevailing theory, until now, was that they were captured asteroids, but the research team now believes that the new images point to a homegrown, Martian origin for the pair. ‘We have a unique opportunity with Hope to characterize the composition, thermophysics, and detailed geomorphology of Deimos with these new observations,’ said Justin Deighan, EMM deputy science lead. ‘We expect to build a better understanding of both Phobos and Deimos’ origins and evolution and advance our fundamental understanding of these two satellites of Mars.’