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How big is Deimos?

Deimos is 13 kilomètres

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about our neighbors in the solar system? We’re not talking about the big planets you might already know, but the smaller, less known objects that orbit them. One of those is Deimos, the tiny moon of Mars. Despite its small size, Deimos is full of fascinating facts that make it an important part of our solar system.

What is Deimos?

Deimos is one of the two natural satellites, or moons, of Mars, the other one being Phobos. It’s the outermost of the two and also the smaller one. Deimos is named after the Ancient Greek god of dread and terror, which sounds quite scary, doesn’t it? But don’t worry, there’s nothing terrifying about learning more about this interesting little moon!

How Big is Deimos?

Let’s talk about the size of Deimos. It has a mean radius of 6.2 kilometers or 3.9 miles. To put that into perspective:

  • Deimos is about half the size of the asteroid that scientists believe wiped out the dinosaurs. - It’s almost 1,600 times smaller than Earth. - If Deimos was a ball, you could fit more than 1,000,000 Deimos-sized balls inside Earth! It’s safe to say that Deimos is pretty small, especially when compared to other objects in our solar system. But size isn’t everything, and Deimos still has a lot to offer when it comes to scientific interest.

Deimos’ Orbit and Distance from Mars

Deimos orbits Mars, but it’s much farther away from Mars than its sibling moon, Phobos. Deimos is 23,460 kilometers or 14,580 miles away from Mars. That’s more than 30 times the distance between Earth and our moon! It also takes Deimos 30.3 hours to complete one orbit around Mars. That’s a bit more than a day here on Earth.

Conclusion

Even though Deimos is small, it plays a big role in our understanding of the solar system. Its size, distance from Mars, and the time it takes to orbit Mars make it unique and interesting. So, the next time you look up at the night sky, remember Deimos, the small but mighty moon of Mars!

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