[ad_1]
Strange grooves that crisscross the surface of the Martian lunar phobos were probably made with rolling rocks a study revealed.
The grooves of Phobos, visible on almost the entire surface of the moon, were first identified in the 1970s by NASA's Mariner and Viking Missions.
Some scientists have advanced the hypothesis that significant impacts on Mars had submerged the nearby moon with debris carving the furrow, while others have suggested that The severity of Mars is slowly tearing Phobos and the grooves are signs of structural failure.
To confirm this theory, a team from Brown University in the United States has designed computer models showing that blocks ejected from Stickney could have created the intricate patterns of grooves seen on Phobos.
Stickney, a big crater of impact 10 km in diameter, almost half the average diameter of Phobos. The crater is so big compared to the size of Phobos that scientists think it's probably nearly breaking the moon.
This amazing image of Stickney and its surroundings was recorded by the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars reconnaissance orbiter as it passed approximately six thousand kilometers from Phobos in 2008. (Image: NASA)
"These grooves are a hallmark of Phobos and planetary scientists have been discussing them for 40 years," said Ken Ramsley, a planetary scientist at Brown University, who led the work.
Why Stickney stones keep rolling?
The simulations show that because of Because Phobos are small and of relatively low gravity, Stickney stones continue to roll rather than stop. after about a kilometer, as on a larger body.
In fact, some rocks would have rolled and circled all around the tiny moon, explaining why some grooves are not aligned radially with the crater, found the researchers in the article published in the journal "Planetary and Space Science ".
Phobos in super resolution (Image: ESA)
In some cases, the globe-trotting rocks rolled all the way back to where they started – Stickney, indicating why the crater itself has grooves.
In addition, Phobos has quite low altitude zones surrounded by a lip of higher altitude, without any groove.
"It's like a ski jump," Ramsley said. "The rocks continue to move forward but suddenly there is no more ground under them, and they end up doing this suborbital flight over this area."
"We think this proves quite clearly that it's this model of moving blocks that accounts for most, if not all, furrows on Phobos," Ramsley said.
All about the Martian moons
Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos (Image: NASA)
Mars has two small moons: Phobos and Deimos.
Phobos (fear) and Deimos (Panic) were named in honor of the horses who were pulling the chariot from the Greek war god Ares, the equivalent of the god of the Roman war Mars.
Phobos and Deimos were discovered in 1877 by the American astronomer Asaph Hall. Moons seem to have surface materials similar to those of many asteroids in the outer asteroid belt, which suggests to most scientists that Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids.
Phobos, the largest and innermost of the two Martian moons, is the darkest moon in the entire solar system.
Another interesting feature of Phobos is the duration of its orbit. Phobos revolves around Mars at amazing speed. In fact, he revolves around March three times during a Martian day.
As a result, Phobos seems to rise to the west and land to the east.
Also read | Phobos, the little Martian moon captured by NASA's Hubble telescope
Read also | It's very difficult to try to exist, but it's possible: Ron Howard says about colonizing March
Interested in general knowledge and current events? Click here to find out what's going on in the world with our G.K. and Current Affairs section.
For more updates on Routine Proceedings, send your request by mail to [email protected]
Source link
