Hi Res. Phobos Image

[barkis]

This today from ESA's Mars Express camera.

Ron.

(click to enlarge)

[Black Shuck]

Thanks Ron - that's fascinating!! 8)

Never seen such an image of Phobos.

Cheers

Bill£

[Paxo]

That's some interesting striations on there, does make you wonder what the structure is. Thanks for posting Ron./

Steve..

[jgs001]

Interesting image, thanks Ron. It looks like it's been shoved through a hole that was a little too small...

[barkis]

I will have to look around for Info. on this little moon. Those striations Steve (Paxo ) mentioned are pretty unusual. There are a number of small crater chains too, but those furrows? look like long motorways.

Ron.

[Vega]

Oh my god Ron thats a fantastic image! What were the expsure leng... oh wait.. Mars Express.

Fabulous work by ESO. Its nice that NASA arn't the only horse in the space race

Matt

[barkis]

Oh my god Ron thats a fantastic image! What were the expsure leng... oh wait.. Mars Express.

Matt

:laughing3: Heh Heh Heh. I wish Matt, I would be delighted to get a shot of our own moon as good as that.

Ron.

[Paxo]

Ron,

If you came across a cliff face looking like that (minus the craters of course) you would immediately assume thast it was sedimentary rock you are looking at, this gives the same first impression, hence wandered what the structure was. Is it a captured asteroid or possibly an ancient piece of ejecta that has stayed in orbit, and as there are sedimentary rocks on mars? well who knows, planetary geologists I suppose.

Steve..

[Starflyer]

What a great image.

That's some interesting striations on there, does make you wonder what the structure is.

They're the rope marks from the LGM dragging it into orbit

Ian

[barkis]

Ron,

If you came across a cliff face looking like that (minus the craters of course) you would immediately assume thast it was sedimentary rock you are looking at, this gives the same first impression, hence wandered what the structure was. Is it a captured asteroid or possibly an ancient piece of ejecta that has stayed in orbit, and as there are sedimentary rocks on mars? well who knows, planetary geologists I suppose.

Steve..

Yes, you have a point. Look at the crater equatorial left, there's a series of lines running through it that have not deviated from their path. In fact there are a number of them like that.

I'm no geologist, but I would like to hear a theory of what's gone on here.

Weird.

[Paxo]

My first degree was in geology, that's what sparked the interest!

Steve.

[barkis]

Sorry Steve, I had no Idea about your degree, I feel a right plonker now. I even looked back to when you joined way back in Oct. 07 to see if you mentioned it in your Intro, but being a Modest guy, you didn't Anyway, you're from Newcastle so everythings fine.

Back to Phobos, I remember an Image The Warthog posted not too long ago, he showed us a picture of a mountain whilst on holiday in the US. That mountain had those striations about midway up. I had no Idea what they were, but he told me when I questioned them.

So I see what you are meaning regarding those Phobos lines. It would be interesting to see an Image as close, of Deimos, to see if there is a possibility that the pair may have originated from the same source. Quite feasible I suppose.

Ron.

[Paxo]

:oops: :oops: :oops:

Just did a bit more digging, what you cant see is a very large crater named Stickney, the maiden name of Hall's (who discovered phobos in August 1877) wife. The striations are cracks probably resulting from this very large crater. There's an excellent photo at the top of this website page:

http://www.nineplanets.org/phobos.html

We live and learn I guess. Where's the astro students when you need them.

Steve

[moondog]

I will have to look around for Info. on this little moon. Those striations Steve (Paxo ) mentioned are pretty unusual. There are a number of small crater chains too, but those furrows? look like long motorways.

Ron

Ron - Canals on Mars and now motorways on one of her moons - whatever next!

8)

MD

[barkis]

:oops: :oops: :oops:

Just did a bit more digging, what you cant see is a very large crater named Stickney, the maiden name of Hall's (who discovered phobos in August 1877) wife. The striations are cracks probably resulting from this very large crater. There's an excellent photo at the top of this website page:

http://www.nineplanets.org/phobos.html

We live and learn I guess. Where's the astro students when you need them.

Steve

:laughing3: :laughing3: Precisely!.

Well that as cleared the picture a bit. That is some crater. I knew about the biggy on Mimas, but I had no Idea Phobos had been smacked with a big one too. It's plain to see that the source of those lines is that crater. They all radiate away from it. Good grief, the little moon must have had a headache for years after that headbutt. :shock:

There's a mine of Info. to keep one occupied for years, just in our own star system, never mind the universe .

Ron.

[SteelRat]

Express passed within 93k of Phobos a few days ago. Good to see a nice close up shot of the thing eh Ron? 8)

[barkis]

I will have to look around for Info. on this little moon. Those striations Steve (Paxo ) mentioned are pretty unusual. There are a number of small crater chains too, but those furrows? look like long motorways.

Ron

Ron - Canals on Mars and now motorways on one of her moons - whatever next!

MD

Yeah,! But poor old Percival Lowell suffered badly over the canals. He was pilloried by his peers, an unforgiving lot. Damned shame, because the man really did contribute so much to the knowledge pool.

"Motorways", did I really say that, I was not implying they were constructed by Wimpy's of Mars though. :laughing2: :laughing2:

[barkis]

Express passed within 93k of Phobos a few days ago. Good to see a nice close up shot of the thing eh Ron? 8)

Matt, I would be quite happy in a tent on Phobos for a month, with my ED80, camera,

Tent, (Can't think why I'd need a tent mind you. ) A big parcel of sarnies, a couples of bottles of JD, and a few packets of crisps.

Just for a month though. :laughing2:

Ron.

[Cloudwatcher]

I think I'll go along with Starflyer's explanation!

They're the rope marks from the LGM dragging it into orbit

Ian

[barkis]

I know I'm going to kick myself for asking but, What is the LGM?

Ron. :oops:

[SteelRat]

Lil' green men

[barkis]

Lil' green men

I knew it

[SteelRat]

I knew it

Ha hah! Heheheheh

[Sam]

That's had a rough time over the years!

[SteelRat]

But that 8 hour orbit eh? 'Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'

Phobos makes for a pretty tatty looking and brief solar eclipse on Mars;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PIA05553.gif