Definition
Deimos is the outer of the two Martian satellites that were discovered by Asaph Hall in 1877. It is in nearly circular synchronous orbits around Mars with an average distance of 23,458 km to the center of the planet and an orbital period of 1.26 days (IAU, 2006). Deimos has an overall smooth shape and measures 15.0 × 12.2 × 10.4 km; its bulk density is about 1.5 g/cm3. The heavily cratered surface indicates an old formation age. Two hypotheses are actually discussed to explain the origin of Deimos: capture of a D-type asteroid or reaccretion of Martian ejecta.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Hoffmann, H. (2011). Deimos. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_405
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_405
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
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