Moon of Mars
Deimos
Deimos is a moon. It orbits Mars. It is about 12 km across – about as wide as Lake Zurich is long. Phobos and Deimos mean “fear” and “dread” – after the sons of Ares, the god of war (Roman: Mars).
Fact file
- Type
- Moon of Mars
- Diameter
- 12.4 km
- Distance from Mars
- 23,463 km
- Orbital period
- 1.3 days
- Temperature
- -40 °C on average
Deimos orbits Mars.
Interesting facts about Deimos
- Phobos and Deimos mean “fear” and “dread” – after the sons of Ares, the god of war (Roman: Mars).
- From Mars, Deimos looks like nothing more than a bright star drifting slowly across the sky.
- Its surface is smoothly blanketed by a thick layer of dust, and craters can hardly be seen.
Frequently asked questions about Deimos
How big is Deimos?
Deimos has a diameter of 12.4 km. That is about 0.4% of the diameter of our Moon.
How far is Deimos from Mars?
Deimos orbits Mars at an average distance of 23,463 km.
How long does Deimos take to orbit Mars?
Deimos orbits Mars once every 30.2 hours.
How cold or warm is it on Deimos?
On Deimos the average temperature is −40 °C.
Formation
Like Phobos, it probably formed from debris of an impact on Mars. Unlike Phobos, Deimos is very slowly moving away from Mars.
Atmosphere
No atmosphere.
Exploration
Both Martian moons were discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877. Close-ups come from Viking and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Compared with Earth
Deimos is only about 12 km across – less than the length of Lake Zurich.
Other moons of Mars
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