How many natural satellites does this planet have?
1
2
3
4
Answer: 2
Phobos and Deimos, two moons of Mars, are thought to be captured asteroids. Both satellites were found in 1877 by Asaph Hall and were given their names after the Greek mythological figures Phobos (fear/panic) and Deimos (terror/dread), who accompanied their father Ares, the god of war, into battle.
The Romans referred to Ares as Mars. Although none have been seen, it is plausible that Mars has moons that are smaller than 50–100 metres in diameter and that there is a dust ring between Phobos and Deimos.
Phobos orbits the planet Mars at a distance of 6,000 kilometres (3,700 miles), which is the closest to its primary of any known planetary moons. It orbits Mars so quickly—in just 7 hours and 39 minutes—that it rotates faster than Mars does. Because of this, it seems twice each Martian day to rise in the west, traverse across the sky in 4 hours 15 minutes or less, and set in the east.
It is estimated that Phobos will crash with Mars or disintegrate into a planetary ring in 50 million years due to tidal interactions that are bringing it closer to the planet by one metre every century.
The smaller and further away of Mars’ two natural satellites, Deimos (systematic name: Mars II), the other being Phobos, has a mean radius of 6.2 km. Deimos orbits Mars in 30.3 hours. The name “Deimos” is pronounced “da-ms,” “DY-ms,” or occasionally “di-ms,” “DEE-ms,” or with a “o,” as in Greek. In Greek mythology, Deimos, Phobos’ identical twin, represented terror.
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