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Credit & Copyright: Dennis Simmons
Explanation:
On Halloween
fear and
dread
will stalk your night skies, also
known as
Phobos
and
Deimos
the moons of Mars.
The 2020
opposition of Mars was on October 13, so the
Red Planet will still rise shortly after sunset.
Near Halloween's Full Moon on the sky, its strange yellowish glow
will outshine other stars throughout the night.
But the two tiny Martian moons are very faint and in close orbits,
making them hard to spot, even with a small telescope.
You can find them in this carefully annotated composite view though.
The overexposed planet's glare is reduced and
orbital paths for inner moon Phobos and outer moon Deimos
are overlayed on digitally combined images captured on October 6.
The diminutive moons
of Mars were discovered
in August of 1877 by
astronomer Asaph Hall at the US Naval Observatory using the
Great
Equatorial
26-inch Alvan Clark refractor.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Mars - Phobos - deimos
Publications with words: Mars - Phobos - deimos
See also:
- APOD: 2026 July 29 Á Psyche Receives Gravity Assist from Mars
- APOD: 2026 July 28 Á Barnards Loop over Twin Volcanoes
- APOD: 2026 July 21 Á Turtle Rock on Mars
- APOD: 2026 June 27 Á Mars Marathon by Perseverance
- APOD: 2026 February 22 Á Shadow of a Martian Robot
- APOD: 2026 February 1 Á Galle: Happy Face Crater on Mars
- APOD: 2026 January 25 Á Phobos: Doomed Moon of Mars