Does Mars have Moons? Know whether the Red Planet has Moons

The second-smallest planet in the Solar System, Mars has always intrigued humans as it is the closes planet to us. The atmosphere, temperature, environment on the fourth planet of the Solar System is quite different from earth. The major reason behind this difference in the environment of a planet can be traced back using the distance between the Sun, the planet's position, Moons it has and more. While many astronomy lovers find information about planets interesting, some want to know 'how many Moons does Mars have'? Some are also curious to know whether Mars has Moons or rings. If you are wondering about these facts about the Red Planet, do not worry, here is all you need to know.

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Does Mars have Moons?

Mars is about 99.101 million km away from Earth and 207.9 million km away from the Sun. The Red Planet has an entirely different environmental system with the atmosphere filled with 95 per cent of carbon dioxide. The temperature of the planet is cold and freezing. Similarly, unlike Earth, Mars has two Moons (satellites). 

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The Moon is round and the only satellite Earth has whereas Mars has two moons which are small, indefinite, irregular, and dissimilar in shapes. Both the moons have names, Phobos and Deimos, originating from Latin. The names mean fear and panic. The Martian Moons, Phobos, and Deimos are famously denoted as potato-shaped satellites.

As per several theories, many scientists believe that Martian Moons are formed out of debris that was once Rings. However, the same theory also suggests that Mars must have had many moons that were destroyed due to Mars' gravity where Phobos could be the last straggler amongst them while Deimos is the stable one a little further away from the planet.

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NASA's Mars Perseverance rover mission

According to several reports, NASA is going to send another mission to Mars called the Mars Perseverance rover which is expected to be groundbreaking as it starts a new era of Mars exploration for the organisation. The Mars Perseverance rover is reportedly set for the window of July 30 to August 15 for the Mars launch and it would be a mission of Astrobiology i.e. a search for life on the Red Planet. 

All Images ~ NASA

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