Fear and Dread: The Moons of Mars

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2020 October 30

Fear and Dread: The Moons of Mars
Composite Image Credit &
Copyright: Dennis Simmons

Explanation: On Halloween
fear and
dread
will stalk your night skies, also
known as
Phobos
and
Deimos
the moons of Mars. The 2020
opposition of Mars was on October 13, so the
Red Planet will still rise shortly after sunset. Near Halloween’s Full Moon on the sky, its strange yellowish glow
will outshine other stars throughout the night. But the two tiny Martian moons are very faint and in close orbits,
making them hard to spot, even with a small telescope. You can find them in this carefully annotated composite view though. The overexposed planet’s glare is reduced and
orbital paths for inner moon Phobos and outer moon Deimos
are overlayed on digitally combined images captured on October 6. The diminutive moons
of Mars were discovered in August of 1877 by
astronomer Asaph Hall at the US Naval Observatory using the
Great Equatorial
26-inch Alvan Clark refractor.

Tomorrow’s picture: galaxy of horrors

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