The two \"moons\" of Mars were once suggested to be artificial. What characteris
ID: 118191 • Letter: T
Question
The two "moons" of Mars were once suggested to be artificial. What characteristics do they have that would cause such speculation. (more than one answer)
Both Martian satellites show evidence they were manufactured within the last million years.
Phobos is nearer to its parent planet than any other natural satellite in the solar system.
The satellites are unusually small, only 14 and 9 miles in diameter.
The two moons were mentioned in the book "Gulliver's Travels" before they were discovered in 1977, indicating they must be artificial satellites.
The satellites are irregularly shaped instead of spherical.
a.Both Martian satellites show evidence they were manufactured within the last million years.
b.Phobos is nearer to its parent planet than any other natural satellite in the solar system.
c.The satellites are unusually small, only 14 and 9 miles in diameter.
d.The two moons were mentioned in the book "Gulliver's Travels" before they were discovered in 1977, indicating they must be artificial satellites.
e.The satellites are irregularly shaped instead of spherical.
Explanation / Answer
Ans:
Phobos and Deimos bear more resemblance to asteroids than moon. Both are tiny — the larger, Phobos, is only 14 miles across (22 kilometers), while the smaller, Deimos, is only 8 miles (13 km), making them some of the smallest moons in the solar system.
Both are also made up of material that resembles Type I or II carbonaceous chondrites, the substance that makes up asteroids. With their elongated shapes, they even look more like asteroids than moons.
Even from Mars, the moons don't look like moons. The more distant moon, Deimos, appears more like a star in the night sky. When it is full and shining at its brightest, it resembles Venus as seen on Earth.
Phobos has the closest orbit to its primary of any moon in the solar system, but still only appears a third as wide as Earth's full moon.Because of their odd shapes and strange composition, scientists thought for a long time that both moons were born asteroids. Jupiter's gravity could have nudged them into orbit around Mars, allowing the red planet to capture them.
so the options are (b), (c) and (e)
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