Capture of Phobos and Deimos, Paper AAAS - 57725 by Geoffrey Landis |
Capture of Phobos and Deimos, Paper AAAS - 57725 by Geoffrey Landis |
Mar 29 2009, 01:23 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 236 Joined: 5-June 08 From: Udon Thani Member No.: 4185 |
see http://arxiv.org/abs/0903.3434 QUOTE The origin of the Martian moons Deimos and Phobos is controversial. One hypothesis for their origin is that they are captured asteroids, but the mechanism requires an extremely dense martian atmosphere, and the mechanism by which an asteroid in solar orbit could shed sufficient orbital energy to be captured into Mars orbit has not been well elucidated. Since the discovery by the space probe Galileo that the asteroid Ida has a moon "Dactyl", a significant number of asteroids have been discovered to have smaller asteroids in orbit about them. The existence of asteroid moons provides a mechanism for the capture of the Martian moons (and the small moons of the outer planets). When a binary asteroid makes a close approach to a planet, tidal forces can strip the moon from the asteroid. Depending on the phasing, the asteroid can then be captured. Clearly, the same process can be used to explain the origin of any of the small moons in the solar system. Interesting theory. |
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May 24 2009, 10:29 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1229 Joined: 24-December 05 From: The blue one in between the yellow and red ones. Member No.: 618 |
craters or sinkholes?
-------------------- My Grandpa goes to Mars every day and all I get are these lousy T-shirts!
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