The blue moon
The image of Mars' moon Phobos in 3D and colour
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Friday, 11, Apr 2008 03:33
A new 3D and colour image of Mars' largest moon has been released today by Nasa.
Shots of Phobos were taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and then combined for a stereo view.
Previous spacecraft have taken higher-resolution pictures of the moon but the latest images are higher quality.
Scientists are particularly interested in Phobos as they think it may be rich in water ice and carbon-rich materials.
The images show that material around the rim of the moon's largest surface feature, Stickney crater, appears more blue than the rest of Phobos.
"Based on analogy with material on our own moon, the bluer colour could mean that the material is fresher, or hasn't been exposed to space as long as the rest of Phobos' surface has," said Nathan Bridges of Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
With the moon illuminated by 'Mars-shine', the image also shows landslides along the walls of Stickney and other large craters.
'Mars-shine' is sunlight reflected by Mars onto the moon.