Phobos may break apart sooner as Mars tides strip its surface
Updated
Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · May 3
Phobos may break apart sooner as Mars tides strip its surface
13 articles · Updated · Sky at Night Magazine · May 3
French researchers Harrison Agrusa and Patrick Michel say shedding could begin at about 2.25 Mars radii, well before the traditional Roche limit near 1.6.
Their mathematical analysis and rubble-pile simulations suggest repeated mass-loss events at 2.15, 2.13 and 2.09 Mars radii could rapidly destabilise and destroy the moon.
Debris stripped from Phobos could later slam back into it, potentially causing a self-triggered collisional catastrophe. Japan's MMX mission, due to launch in 2026, may clarify the moon's internal structure.
What if Japan's MMX mission finds Phobos isn't a fragile 'rubble pile'? Could its predicted doom be wrong?
If Phobos shatters, what risks will its debris ring pose to future human missions and Martian colonies?
Could the destruction of Phobos create a spectacular new ring system around Mars visible from Earth?