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Scientists have released the most detailed photo of Mars’ moon Deimos ever taken.
These images were taken by the UAE Space Agency’s Hope probe during its recent flyby of the moon.
The spacecraft flew about 60 miles from Deimos, during which time it was able to record images and send them back to Earth.
It also snapped rare glimpses of the far side of the Moon that hadn’t been carefully studied before.
What did the UAE Space Agency’s Hope probe find?
Image Source, Getty Images
The probe, named Al-Amal – meaning “Hope” in Arabic – is part of the UAE Space Agency’s Emirates Mission to Mars (EMM), the world’s first interplanetary mission launched by an Arab country .
For the past two years, it has been orbiting Mars, frequently flying past Deimos and its big sibling moon Phobos.
It uses instruments that measure infrared and ultraviolet wavelengths to make observations and capture images.
Mars has two moons – the larger Phobos and the smaller Deimos.
What are Mars’ moons Phobos and Deimos like?
According to EMM, Deimos is a rocky bean-shaped object only 12 kilometers across.
Mars’ other moon, Phobos, is nearly twice as large and is the better understood of the two moons because it orbits closer to Mars.
Scientists hope that the Hope probe will help us learn more about Deimos and better understand its composition and origin.
The UAE space agency has announced that it is extending its mission to Mars for another year, during which time Hope will continue to fly over Deimos and collect more data.
So far, Hope has made several close flybys of Deimos, while also observing Mars and its atmosphere.
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