Deimos🌙

Deimos is smaller and more distant than Phobos, with dimensions of approximately 15 × 12 × 11 km. It orbits Mars at an average distance of about 23,500 km and completes a full orbit in 30.3 hours, slightly longer than a Martian day. Because it orbits farther from Mars, Deimos appears to move slowly across the Martian sky and rises in the east like most moons in the solar system.

Unlike Phobos, Deimos’ orbit is gradually moving outward, making it relatively stable over millions of years. Its greater distance and slower orbital motion result in less pronounced tidal effects than those experienced by Phobos.

Physical Features

Deimos is smoother and less heavily cratered than Phobos, with a surface that appears covered in fine dust and regolith, which may have partially filled in smaller craters over time. Its largest craters are much smaller relative to its size, and the surface is dominated by small impact craters and shallow depressions.

Deimos also has a low albedo of about 0.07, reflecting very little sunlight, and its composition is consistent with carbon-rich asteroid material. Its irregular shape and low density suggest that it may be a rubble-pile asteroid, held together by self-gravity rather than a solid interior.