New Hi-Res Views of Mars's ''Fear'' Moon Unveiled

Martian Moon Phobos
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April 10, 2008It might look like the Death Star, but rebel forces would have nothing to fear from Phobos, the Martian moon named for the Greek god of horror. The moon was recently imaged in high resolution by the Mars-orbiting HiRISE camera.

The tiny moon's most prominent feature is Stickney Crater, pictured above in false color. Blue regions around the rim likely represent younger material, scientists say.

"Based on analogy with material on our own moon, the bluer color could mean that the material is fresher or hasn't been exposed to space as long as the rest of Phobos's surface has," HiRISE team member Nathan Bridges said in a press release.

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—Image courtesy NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
 

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