A European spacecraft, called Hera, recently zoomed past Mars, capturing stunning images of the planet and its smaller moon, Deimos. This flyby was part of Hera’s journey to explore a pair of asteroids over 110 million miles away.
In its high-speed approach—traveling at over 20,000 mph—Hera managed to snap photos from just 620 miles away. This is a significant moment for scientists, as it marks the first time they have used the spacecraft’s instruments on Deimos, a small moon that’s just 8 miles wide. Michael Kueppers, the mission’s scientist, noted the importance of this achievement for expanding our understanding of Deimos.
Deimos is locked in a unique dance with Mars, always showing the same side to the planet. Scientists believe it might be the remnant of a massive collision with Mars or a captured asteroid. When Hera took its photos, Mars appeared light blue, with Deimos visible as a dark spot below it. Above, we can see the Terra Sabaea region and notable craters like Huygens and Schiaparelli, as well as the massive Hellas Basin.
These findings are especially timely. Recent studies show that understanding celestial bodies like Deimos and asteroids is critical for our planet’s safety. In 2022, NASA’s DART mission was the first to alter an asteroid’s orbit, demonstrating that we could potentially direct threatening asteroids away from Earth.
Hera is set to reach Dimorphos, a 150-meter asteroid, which orbits a larger body named Didymos. The goal is to further explore whether we can divert asteroids that might pose a risk to our planet in the future.
As we continue to gather data from missions like Hera, we draw closer to safeguarding our world from cosmic threats. For more insights into these space missions, you can check sources like the European Space Agency and NASA’s updates on asteroid research.
Check out this related article: Is Our Universe Inside a Black Hole? Discover the Mind-Blowing Findings from the James Webb Space Telescope!
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