Астронет: Астрономическая картинка дня В 29 км от Деймоса http://variable-stars.ru/db/msg/1165187/eng |
Credit & Copyright: The Viking Project,
NASA
Explanation:
Diminutive Deimos
is the smallest of the two tiny Moons
of Mars.
Potato-shaped and barely 6 miles wide
this asteroid-like body
was visited by the Viking 2 orbiter in 1977.
This image was made when the spacecraft approached to within
18 miles of Deimos' surface.
One of the most detailed
pictures of a celestial body ever taken
by an orbiting spacecraft, the field of
view is less than a square mile and features just under 10 feet across
are visible.
Craters and large chunks of rock are seen scattered on
the surface while
some of the craters appear to be covered by
a layer of powdery soil or "regolith".
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.