The Red Planet Mars’ two tiny and deformed moons- Phobos and Deimos, are thought to be as captured asteroids. Although, an alternative theory suggests that they might have been chipped-off leftovers of the old Martian block from an ancient impact.
The argument that these moons not being asteroids are strongly supported by the fact that they both have circular orbits around Mars. They would have comparatively less circular orbits if they were asteroids held by gravity of Mars. A coincidence of one moon having circular orbit would still appear by chance, however, both having circular orbits seems extremely unlikely.
Researchers are now adapting models to study the formation of Earth’s Moon, which is also thought to be formed because of a large collision. The result of the research shows that an object with mass of Pluto impacting after thrown around a thousandth of Mars’ mass into orbit and the edge of the disc would apparently reach beyond the 24,000-kilometer orbit of Deimos, which happens to be the outer moon.
To summarize, materials nearer to Mars would be dragged down by the planet’s gravity. However, the fast spinning outer disk would keep it out of the gravity’s clutches causing collisions, thus resulting into tiny Moons such as Phobos and Deimos. This would explain the fast rotation of the Planet even today.
The argument that these moons not being asteroids are strongly supported by the fact that they both have circular orbits around Mars. They would have comparatively less circular orbits if they were asteroids held by gravity of Mars. A coincidence of one moon having circular orbit would still appear by chance, however, both having circular orbits seems extremely unlikely.
Researchers are now adapting models to study the formation of Earth’s Moon, which is also thought to be formed because of a large collision. The result of the research shows that an object with mass of Pluto impacting after thrown around a thousandth of Mars’ mass into orbit and the edge of the disc would apparently reach beyond the 24,000-kilometer orbit of Deimos, which happens to be the outer moon.
To summarize, materials nearer to Mars would be dragged down by the planet’s gravity. However, the fast spinning outer disk would keep it out of the gravity’s clutches causing collisions, thus resulting into tiny Moons such as Phobos and Deimos. This would explain the fast rotation of the Planet even today.
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