Phobos (moon)

Larger of the two moons of Mars

This article is about the moon of Mars. For the god, see Phobos (mythology). For other uses, see Phobos.

"Mars I" redirects here. For the Soviet Mars probe, see Mars 1. For other uses, see Mars 1 (disambiguation).

Phobos

A false color image of Phobos, as captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2008

Discovery
Discovered by| Asaph Hall
Discovery date| 18 August 1877
Designations

Designation

| Mars I
Pronunciation| /ˈfoʊbɒs/[1] or /ˈfoʊbəs/[2]

Named after

| Φόβος
Adjectives| Phobian[3] /ˈfoʊbiən/[4]
Symbol|  (rare)
Orbital characteristics
Epoch J2000
Periapsis| 9234.42 km[5]
Apoapsis| 9517.58 km[5]

Semi-major axis

| 9376 km[5] (2.76 Mars radii/1.472 Earth radii)
Eccentricity| 0.0151[5]

Orbital period (sidereal)

| 0.31891023 d
(7 h 39 m 12 s)[6]

Average orbital speed

| 2.138 km/s[5]
Inclination| 1.093° (to Mars's equator)
0.046° (to local Laplace plane)
26.04° (to the ecliptic)
Satellite of| Mars
Physical characteristics
Dimensions| 25.90 km × 22.60 km × 18.32 km
(± 0.08 km × 0.08 km × 0.06 km)[7]

Mean radius

| 11.08±0.04 km[7]

Surface area

| 1640±8 km2[7]
Volume| 5695±32 km3[7]
Mass| 1.060×1016 kg[8]

Mean density

| 1.861±0.011 g/cm3[7]

Surface gravity

| 0.0057 m/s2[5]
(581.4 μ g)

Escape velocity

| 11.39 m/s
(41 km/h)[5]

Synodic rotation period

| Synchronous

Equatorial rotation velocity

| 11.0 km/h (6.8 mph) (at longest axis)

Axial tilt

| 0°
Albedo| 0.071 ± 0.012 at 0.54 μm[9]
Temperature| ≈ 233 K

Apparent magnitude

| 11.8[10]

Phobos (/ˈfoʊbəs/; systematic designation: Mars I) is the innermost and larger of the two natural satellites of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons were discovered in 1877 by American astronomer Asaph Hall. Phobos is named after the Greek god of fear and panic, who is the son of Ares (Mars) and twin brother of Deimos.

Phobos is a small, irregularly shaped object with a mean radius of 11 km (7 mi). It orbits 6,000 km (3,700 mi) from the Martian surface, closer to its primary body than any other known natural satellite to a planet. It orbits Mars much faster than Mars rotates and completes an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. As a result, from the surface of Mars it appears to rise in the west, move across the sky in 4 hours and 15 minutes or less, and set in the east, twice each Martian day. Phobos is one of the least reflective bodies in the Solar System, with an albedo of 0.071. Surface temperatures range from about −4 °C (25 °F) on the sunlit side to −112 °C (−170 °F) on the shadowed side. The notable surface feature is the large impact crater Stickney, which takes up a substantial proportion of the moon's surface. The surface is also marked by many grooves, and there are numerous theories as to how these grooves were formed.

Images and models indicate that Phobos may be a rubble pile held together by a thin crust that is being torn apart by tidal interactions. Phobos gets closer to Mars by about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) per year.

## Discovery and etymology

[edit]

Main article: History of the moons of Mars

Phobos was discovered by the American astronomer Asaph Hall on 18 August 1877 at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., at about 09:14 Greenwich Mean Time. (Contemporary sources, using the pre-1925 astronomical convention that began the day at noon,[11] give the time of discovery as 17 August at 16:06 Washington Mean Time, meaning 18 August 04:06 in the modern convention.)[12][13][14] Hall had discovered Deimos, Mars's other moon, a few days earlier.[15] The discoveries were made using the world's largest refracting telescope, the 26-inch "Great Equatorial".[16]

The names, originally spelled Phobus and Deimus respectively, were suggested by the British academic Henry Madan, a science master at Eton College, who based them on Greek mythology, in which Phobos is a companion to the god, Ares.[17][18]

Planetary moons other than Earth's were never given symbols in the astronomical literature. Denis Moskowitz, a software engineer who designed most of the dwarf planet symbols, proposed a Greek phi (the initial of Phobos) combined with Mars's spear as the symbol of Phobos (). This symbol is not widely used.[19]

## Physical characteristics

[edit]

Size comparison between Phobos, Deimos and the Moon (right)

Phobos has dimensions of 26 by 23 by 18 kilometres (16 mi × 14 mi × 11 mi),[7] and retains too little mass to be rounded under its own gravity. Phobos does not have an atmosphere due to its low mass and low gravity.[20] It is one of the least reflective bodies in the Solar System, with an albedo of about 0.071.[21] Infrared spectra show that it has carbon-rich material found in carbonaceous chondrites, and its composition shows similarities to that of Mars's surface.[22] Phobos's density is too low to be solid rock, and it is known to have significant porosity.[23][24][25] These results led to the suggestion that Phobos might contain a substantial reservoir of ice. Spectral observations indicate that the surface regolith layer lacks hydration,[26][27] but ice below the regolith is not ruled out.[28][29] Surface temperatures range from about −4 °C (25 °F) on the sunlit side to −112 °C (−170 °F) on the shadowed side.[30]

Unlike Deimos, Phobos is heavily cratered,[31] with one of the craters near the equator having a central peak despite the moon's small size.[32] The most prominent of these is the crater Stickney, an impact crater 9 km (5.6 mi) in diameter, which takes up a substantial proportion of the moon's surface area. As with the Saturnian moon Mimas's crater Herschel, the impact that created Stickney probably almost shattered Phobos.[33]

(top) False color image of the impact crater Stickney imaged by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in March 2008; (bottom) Labeled Map of Phobos – Moon of Mars (U.S. Geological Survey)

Many grooves and streaks cover the oddly shaped surface. The grooves are typically less than 30 meters (98 ft) deep, 100 to 200 meters (330 to 660 ft) wide, and up to 20 kilometers (12 mi) in length, and were originally assumed to have been the result of the same impact that created Stickney. Analysis of results from the Mars Express spacecraft revealed that the grooves are not radial to Stickney, but are centered on the leading apex of Phobos in its orbit (which is not far from Stickney). Researchers suspected that they had been excavated by material ejected into space by impacts on the surface of Mars. The grooves thus formed as crater chains, and all of them fade away as the trailing apex of Phobos is approached. They have been grouped into 12 or more families of varying age, presumably representing at least 12 Martian impact events.[34] In November 2018, based on computational probability analysis, astronomers concluded that the many grooves on Phobos were caused by boulders ejected from the asteroid impact that created Stickney crater. These boulders rolled in a predictable pattern on the surface of the moon.[35][36]

Faint dust rings produced by Phobos and Deimos have long been predicted but attempts to observe these rings have, to date, failed.[37] Images from Mars Global Surveyor indicate that Phobos is covered with a layer of fine-grained regolith at least 100 meters thick; it is hypothesized to have been created by impacts from other bodies, but it is not known how the material stuck to an object with almost no gravity.[38]

The unique Kaidun meteorite that fell on a Soviet military base in Yemen in 1980 has been hypothesized to be a piece of Phobos, but this could not be verified because little is known about the exact composition of Phobos.[39][40]

### Shklovsky's "Hollow Phobos" hypothesis

[edit]

In the late 1950s and 1960s, the unusual orbital characteristics of Phobos led to speculations that it might be hollow.[41] Around 1958, Russian astrophysicist Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky, studying the secular acceleration of Phobos's orbital motion, suggested a "thin sheet metal" structure for Phobos, a suggestion which led to speculations that Phobos was of artificial origin.[42] Shklovsky based his analysis on estimates of the upper Martian atmosphere's density, and deduced that for the weak braking effect to be able to account for the secular acceleration, Phobos had to be very light—one calculation yielded a hollow iron sphere 16 kilometers (9.9 mi) across but less than 6 centimetres (2.4 in) thick.[42][43] In a February 1960 letter to the journal Astronautics,[44] Fred Singer, then science advisor to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, said of Shklovsky's theory:

> If the satellite is indeed spiraling inward as deduced from astronomical observation, then there is little alternative to the hypothesis that it is hollow and therefore Martian made. The big 'if' lies in the astronomical observations; they may well be in error. Since they are based on several independent sets of measurements taken decades apart by different observers with different instruments, systematic errors may have influenced them.[44]

Subsequently, the systematic data errors that Singer predicted were found to exist, the claim was called into doubt,[45] and accurate measurements of the orbit available by 1969 showed that the discrepancy did not exist.[46] Singer's critique was justified when earlier studies were discovered to have used an overestimated value of 5 centimetres (2.0 in) per year for the rate of altitude loss, which was later revised to 1.8 centimetres (0.71 in) per year.[47] The secular acceleration is now attributed to tidal effects, which create drag on the moon and therefore cause it to spiral inward.[48]

The density of Phobos has now been directly measured by spacecraft to be 1.887 g/cm3 (0.0682 lb/cu in).[49] Current observations are consistent with Phobos being a rubble pile.[49] Images obtained by the Viking probes in the 1970s showed a natural object, not an artificial one. Nevertheless, mapping by the Mars Express probe and subsequent volume calculations do suggest the presence of voids and indicate that it is not a solid chunk of rock but a porous body.[50] The porosity of Phobos was calculated to be 30% ± 5%, or a quarter to a third being empty.[51]

### Named geological features

[edit]

Geological features on Phobos are named after astronomers who studied Phobos and people and places from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels.[52]

####  Craters on Phobos

[edit]

Some craters have been named, and are listed in the following map and table.[53]

Phobos Crater Names (view • discuss)

SKYRESH

FLIMNAP

GRILDRIG

RELDRESAL

CLUSTRIL

GULLIVER

DRUNLO

STICKNEY

LIMTOC

KEPLER DORSUM

LAPUTA REGIO?

LAGADO PLANITIA?

SHKLOVSKY?

WENDELL?

Öpik

Crater | Coordinates | Diameter
(km) | Approval
Year | Eponym | Ref

|
|
|
|
|

Clustril | 60°N 91°W﻿ / ﻿60°N 91°W﻿ / 60; -91﻿ (Clustril) | 3.4 | 2006 | Character in Lilliput who informed Flimnap that his wife had visited Gulliver privately in Jonathan Swift's novel Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
D'Arrest | 39°S 179°W﻿ / ﻿39°S 179°W﻿ / -39; -179﻿ (D'Arrest) | 2.1 | 1973 | Heinrich Louis d'Arrest; German/Danish astronomer (1822–1875) | WGPSN
Drunlo | 36°30′N 92°00′W﻿ / ﻿36.5°N 92°W﻿ / 36.5; -92﻿ (Drunlo) | 4.2 | 2006 | Character in Lilliput who informed Flimnap that his wife had visited Gulliver privately in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Flimnap | 60°N 10°E﻿ / ﻿60°N 10°E﻿ / 60; 10﻿ (Flimnap) | 1.5 | 2006 | Treasurer of Lilliput in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Grildrig | 81°N 165°E﻿ / ﻿81°N 165°E﻿ / 81; 165﻿ (Grildrig) | 2.6 | 2006 | Name given to Gulliver by the farmer's daughter Glumdalclitch in the giants' country Brobdingnag in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Gulliver | 62°N 163°W﻿ / ﻿62°N 163°W﻿ / 62; -163﻿ (Gulliver) | 5.5 | 2006 | Lemuel Gulliver; surgeon captain and voyager in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Hall | 80°S 150°E﻿ / ﻿80°S 150°E﻿ / -80; 150﻿ (Hall) | 5.4 | 1973 | Asaph Hall; American astronomer discoverer of Phobos and Deimos (1829–1907) | WGPSN
Limtoc | 11°S 54°W﻿ / ﻿11°S 54°W﻿ / -11; -54﻿ (Limtoc) | 2 | 2006 | General in Lilliput who prepared articles of impeachment against Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Öpik | 7°S 63°E﻿ / ﻿7°S 63°E﻿ / -7; 63﻿ (Öpik) | 2 | 2011 | Ernst J. Öpik, Estonian astronomer (1893–1985) | WGPSN
Reldresal | 41°N 39°W﻿ / ﻿41°N 39°W﻿ / 41; -39﻿ (Reldresal) | 2.9 | 2006 | Secretary for Private Affairs in Lilliput; Gulliver's friend in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Roche | 53°N 177°E﻿ / ﻿53°N 177°E﻿ / 53; 177﻿ (Roche) | 2.3 | 1973 | Édouard Roche; French astronomer (1820–1883) | WGPSN
Sharpless | 27°30′S 154°00′W﻿ / ﻿27.5°S 154°W﻿ / -27.5; -154﻿ (Sharpless) | 1.8 | 1973 | Bevan Sharpless; American astronomer (1904–1950) | WGPSN
Shklovsky | 24°N 112°E﻿ / ﻿24°N 112°E﻿ / 24; 112﻿ (Shklovsky) | 2 | 2011 | Iosif Shklovsky, Soviet astronomer (1916–1985) | WGPSN
Skyresh | 52°30′N 40°00′E﻿ / ﻿52.5°N 40°E﻿ / 52.5; 40﻿ (Skyresh) | 1.5 | 2006 | Skyresh Bolgolam; High Admiral of the Lilliput council who opposed Gulliver's plea for freedom and accused him of being a traitor in Gulliver's Travels | WGPSN
Stickney | 1°N 49°W﻿ / ﻿1°N 49°W﻿ / 1; -49﻿ (Stickney) | 9 | 1973 | Angeline Stickney (1830–1892); wife of American astronomer Asaph Hall (above) | WGPSN
Todd | 9°S 153°W﻿ / ﻿9°S 153°W﻿ / -9; -153﻿ (Todd) | 2.6 | 1973 | David Peck Todd; American astronomer (1855–1939) | WGPSN
Wendell | 1°S 132°W﻿ / ﻿1°S 132°W﻿ / -1; -132﻿ (Wendell) | 1.7 | 1973 | Oliver Wendell; American astronomer (1845–1912) | WGPSN

#### Other named features

[edit]

There is one named regio, Laputa Regio, and one named planitia, Lagado Planitia; both are named after places in Gulliver's Travels (the fictional Laputa, a flying island, and Lagado, imaginary capital of the fictional nation Balnibarbi).[54] The only named ridge on Phobos is Kepler Dorsum, named after the astronomer Johannes Kepler.[55]

## Orbital characteristics

[edit]

Orbits of Phobos and Deimos

The orbital motion of Phobos has been intensively studied, making it "the best studied natural satellite in the Solar System" in terms of orbits completed.[56] Its close orbit around Mars produces some distinct effects. With an altitude of 5,989 km (3,721 mi), Phobos orbits Mars below the synchronous orbit radius, meaning that it moves around Mars faster than Mars itself rotates.[24] Therefore, from the point of view of an observer on the surface of Mars, it rises in the west, moves comparatively rapidly across the sky (in 4 h 15 min or less) and sets in the east, approximately twice each Martian day (every 11 h 6 min). Because it is close to the surface and in an equatorial orbit, it cannot be seen above the horizon from latitudes greater than 70.4°. Its orbit is so low that its angular diameter, as seen by an observer on Mars, varies visibly with its position in the sky. Seen at the horizon, Phobos is about 0.14° wide; at zenith, it is 0.20°, one-third as wide as the full Moon as seen from Earth. By comparison, the Sun has an apparent size of about 0.35° in the Martian sky. Phobos's phases, inasmuch as they can be observed from Mars, take 0.3191 days (Phobos's synodic period) to run their course, a mere 13 seconds longer than Phobos's sidereal period.

### Solar transits

[edit]

Main article: Transit of Phobos from Mars

Phobos transits the Sun, as viewed by the Perseverance rover on 2 April 2022

An observer situated on the Martian surface, in a position to observe Phobos, would see regular transits of Phobos across the Sun. Several of these transits have been photographed by the Mars Rover Opportunity. During the transits, Phobos casts a shadow on the surface of Mars; this event has been photographed by several spacecraft. Phobos is not large enough to cover the Sun's disk, and so cannot cause a total eclipse.[57]

### Predicted destruction

[edit]

Tidal deceleration is gradually decreasing the orbital radius of Phobos by approximately 2 m (6 ft 7 in) every 100 years,[58] and with decreasing orbital radius the likelihood of breakup due to tidal forces increases, estimated in approximately 30–50 million years,[58][56] or about 43 million years in one study's estimate.[59]

Phobos's grooves were long thought to be fractures caused by the impact that formed the Stickney crater. Other modelling suggested since the 1970s support the idea that the grooves are more like "stretch marks" that occur when Phobos gets deformed by tidal forces, but in 2015 when the tidal forces were calculated and used in a new model, the stresses were too weak to fracture a solid moon of that size, unless Phobos is a rubble pile surrounded by a layer of powdery regolith about 100 m (330 ft) thick. Stress fractures calculated for this model line up with the grooves on Phobos. The model is supported with the discovery that some of the grooves are younger than others, implying that the process that produces the grooves is ongoing.[58][60][inconsistent]

Given Phobos's irregular shape and assuming that it is a pile of rubble (specifically a Mohr–Coulomb body), it will eventually break up due to tidal forces when it reaches approximately 2.1 Mars radii.[61] When Phobos is broken up, it will form a planetary ring around Mars.[62] This predicted ring may last from 1 million to 100 million years. The fraction of the mass of Phobos that will form the ring depends on the unknown internal structure of Phobos. Loose, weakly bound material will form the ring. Components of Phobos with strong cohesion will escape tidal breakup and will enter the Martian atmosphere.[63]

## Origin

[edit]

An illustration of main-belt asteroid capture hypothesis

The origin of the Martian moons has been disputed.[64] Phobos and Deimos both have much in common with carbonaceous C-type asteroids, with spectra, albedo, and density very similar to those of C- or D-type asteroids.[65] Based on their similarity, one hypothesis is that both moons may be captured main-belt asteroids.[66][67] Since both moons have nearly circular orbits that lie almost exactly in Mars's equatorial plane, a capture origin for them requires a mechanism for circularizing their initially highly eccentric orbits and adjusting their inclinations into the equatorial plane, most probably by a combination of atmospheric drag and tidal forces.[68] However, it is not clear that sufficient time is available for this to occur for Deimos.[64] Capture also requires dissipation of energy. The current Martian atmosphere is too thin to capture a Phobos-sized object by atmospheric braking.[64] Geoffrey A. Landis has pointed out that the capture could have occurred if the original body was a binary asteroid that separated under tidal forces.[67][69]

Phobos could be a second-generation Solar System object that coalesced in orbit after Mars formed, rather than forming concurrently out of the same birth cloud as Mars.[70]

Another hypothesis is that Mars was once surrounded by many Phobos- and Deimos-sized bodies, perhaps ejected into orbit around it by a collision with a large planetesimal.[71] The high porosity of the interior of Phobos (based on the density of 1.88 g/cm3, voids are estimated to comprise 25 to 35 percent of Phobos's volume) is inconsistent with an asteroidal origin.[51] Observations of Phobos in the thermal infrared suggest a composition containing mainly phyllosilicates, which are well known from the surface of Mars. The spectra are distinct from those of all classes of chondrite meteorites, again pointing away from an asteroidal origin.[72] Both sets of findings support an origin of Phobos from material ejected by an impact on Mars that reaccreted in Martian orbit,[73] similar to the prevailing theory for the origin of Earth's moon.

Some areas of the surface are reddish in color, while others are bluish. The hypothesis is that gravity pull from Mars makes the reddish regolith move over the surface, exposing relatively fresh, unweathered and bluish material from the moon, while the regolith covering it over time has been weathered due to exposure of solar radiation. Because the blue rock differs from known Martian rock, it could contradict the theory that the moon is formed from leftover planetary material after the impact of a large object.[74]

In February 2021, Amirhossein Bagheri (ETH Zurich), Amir Khan (ETH Zurich), Michael Efroimsky (US Naval Observatory) and their colleagues proposed a new hypothesis on the origin of the moons. By analyzing the seismic and orbital data from Mars InSight Mission and other missions, they proposed that the moons are born from disruption of a common parent body around 1 to 2.7 billion years ago. The common progenitor of Phobos and Deimos was most probably hit by another object and shattered to form both moons.[75]

## Exploration

[edit]

### Launched missions

[edit]

Phobos over Mars (ESA Mars Express)

Phobos has been photographed in close-up by several spacecraft whose primary mission has been to photograph Mars. The first was Mariner 7 in 1969, followed by Mariner 9 in 1971, Viking 1 in 1977, Phobos 2 in 1989[76] Mars Global Surveyor in 1998 and 2003, Mars Express in 2004, 2008, 2010[77] and 2019, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2007 and 2008. On 25 August 2005, the Spirit rover, with an excess of energy due to wind blowing dust off of its solar panels, took several short-exposure photographs of the night sky from the surface of Mars, and was able to successfully photograph both Phobos and Deimos.[78]

The Soviet Union undertook the Phobos program with two probes, both launched successfully in July 1988. Phobos 1 was shut down by an erroneous command from ground control issued in September 1988 and lost while still en route. Phobos 2 arrived at the Mars system in January 1989 and, after transmitting a small amount of data and imagery shortly before beginning its detailed examination of Phobos's surface, abruptly ceased transmission due either to failure of the onboard computer or of the radio transmitter, already operating on backup power. Other Mars missions collected more data, but no dedicated sample return mission has been successfully performed.

The Russian Space Agency launched a sample return mission to Phobos in November 2011, called Fobos-Grunt. The return capsule also included a life science experiment of The Planetary Society, called Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment, or LIFE.[79] A second contributor to this mission was the China National Space Administration, which supplied a surveying satellite called "Yinghuo-1", which would have been released in the orbit of Mars, and a soil-grinding and sieving system for the scientific payload of the Phobos lander.[80][81] After achieving Earth orbit, the Fobos-Grunt probe failed to initiate subsequent burns that would have sent it to Mars. Attempts to recover the probe were unsuccessful and it crashed back to Earth in January 2012.[82]

On 1 July 2020, the Mars orbiter of the Indian Space Research Organisation was able to capture photos of the body from 4,200 km away.[83]

During the end of its 12 March 2025 gravity assist from Mars, en route to 65803 Didymos, the ESA's Hera was able to observe Phobos retreating from the planet in its orbit at distances less than 13,000 km away.[84]

### Missions considered

[edit]

In 1997 and 1998, the Aladdin mission was selected as a finalist in the NASA Discovery Program. The plan was to visit both Phobos and Deimos, and launch projectiles at the satellites. The probe would collect the ejecta as it performed a slow flyby (~1 km/s).[85] These samples would be returned to Earth for study three years later.[86][87] The Principal Investigator was Dr. Carle Pieters of Brown University. The total mission cost, including launch vehicle and operations was $247.7 million.[88] Ultimately, the mission chosen to fly was MESSENGER, a probe to Mercury.[89]

In 2007, the European aerospace subsidiary EADS Astrium was reported to have been developing a mission to Phobos as a technology demonstrator. Astrium was involved in developing a European Space Agency plan for a sample return mission to Mars, as part of the ESA's Aurora programme, and sending a mission to Phobos with its low gravity was seen as a good opportunity for testing and proving the technologies required for an eventual sample return mission to Mars. The mission was envisioned to start in 2016, was to last for three years. The company planned to use a "mothership", which would be propelled by an ion engine, releasing a lander to the surface of Phobos. The lander would perform some tests and experiments, gather samples in a capsule, then return to the mothership and head back to Earth where the samples would be jettisoned for recovery on the surface.[90]

### Proposed missions

[edit]

The Phobos monolith (right of center) as taken by the Mars Global Surveyor (MOC Image 55103, 1998)

In 2007, the Canadian Space Agency funded a study by Optech and the Mars Institute for an uncrewed mission to Phobos known as Phobos Reconnaissance and International Mars Exploration (PRIME). A proposed landing site for the PRIME spacecraft is at the "Phobos monolith", a prominent object near Stickney crater.[91][92][93] The PRIME mission would be composed of an orbiter and lander, and each would carry 4 instruments designed to study various aspects of Phobos's geology.[94]

In 2008, NASA Glenn Research Center began studying a Phobos and Deimos sample return mission that would use solar electric propulsion. The study gave rise to the "Hall" mission concept, a New Frontiers-class mission under further study as of 2010.[95]

Another concept of a sample return mission from Phobos and Deimos is OSIRIS-REx II, which would use heritage technology from the first OSIRIS-REx mission.[96]

As of January 2013, a new Phobos Surveyor mission is currently under development by a collaboration of Stanford University, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[97] The mission is currently in the testing phases, and the team at Stanford plans to launch the mission between 2023 and 2033.[97]

In March 2014, a Discovery class mission was proposed to place an orbiter in Mars orbit by 2021 to study Phobos and Deimos through a series of close flybys. The mission is called Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME).[98][99][100] Two other Phobos missions that were proposed for the Discovery 13 selection included a mission called Merlin, which would flyby Deimos but actually orbit and land on Phobos, and another one is Pandora which would orbit both Deimos and Phobos.[101]

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) unveiled on 9 June 2015 the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX), a sample return mission targeting Phobos.[102] MMX will land and collect samples from Phobos multiple times, along with conducting Deimos flyby observations and monitoring Mars's climate. By using a corer sampling mechanism, the spacecraft aims to retrieve a minimum 10 g amount of samples.[103] NASA, ESA, DLR, and CNES[104] are also participating in the project, and will provide scientific instruments.[105][106] The U.S. will contribute the Neutron and Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (NGRS), and France the Near IR Spectrometer (NIRS4/MacrOmega).[103][107] Although the mission has been selected for implementation[108][109] and is now beyond proposal stage, formal project approval by JAXA has been postponed following the Hitomi mishap.[110] Development and testing of key components, including the sampler, is currently ongoing.[111] As of 2017[update], MMX is scheduled to be launched in 2026, and will return to Earth five years later.[103]

Russia plans to repeat Fobos-Grunt mission in the late 2020s, and the European Space Agency is assessing a sample-return mission for 2024 called Phootprint.[112][113]

### Human missions

[edit]

NASA concept of a human mission to Phobos

Phobos has been proposed as an early target for a human mission to Mars. The teleoperation of robotic scouts on Mars by humans on Phobos could be conducted without significant time delay, and planetary protection concerns in early Mars exploration might be addressed by such an approach.[114]

A landing on Phobos would be considerably less difficult and expensive than a landing on the surface of Mars itself. A lander bound for Mars would need to be capable of atmospheric entry and subsequent return to orbit without any support facilities, or would require the creation of support facilities in-situ. A lander instead bound for Phobos could be based on equipment designed for lunar and asteroid landings.[115] Furthermore, due to Phobos's very weak gravity, the delta-v required to land on Phobos and return is only 80% of that required for a trip to and from the surface of the Moon.[116]

It has been proposed that the sands of Phobos could serve as a valuable material for aerobraking during a Mars landing. A relatively small amount of chemical fuel brought from Earth could be used to lift a large amount of sand from the surface of Phobos to a transfer orbit. This sand could be released in front of a spacecraft during the descent maneuver causing a densification of the atmosphere just in front of the spacecraft.[117][118]

While human exploration of Phobos could serve as a catalyst for the human exploration of Mars, it could be scientifically valuable in its own right.[119]

### Space elevator base

[edit]

First discussed in fiction in 1956 by Fontenay,[120] Phobos has been proposed as a future site for space elevator construction. This would involve a pair of space elevators: one extending 6,000 km from the Mars-facing side to the edge of Mars's atmosphere, the other extending 6,000 km (3,700 mi) from the other side and away from Mars. A spacecraft launching from Mars's surface to the lower space elevator would only need a delta-v of 0.52 km/s (0.32 mi/s), as opposed to the over 3.6 km/s (2.2 mi/s) needed to launch to low Mars orbit. The spacecraft could be lifted up using electrical power and then released from the upper space elevator with a hyperbolic velocity of 2.6 km/s (1.6 mi/s), enough to reach Earth and a significant fraction of the velocity needed to reach the asteroid belt. The space elevators could also work in reverse to help spacecraft enter the Martian system. The great mass of Phobos means that any forces from space elevator operation would have minimal effect on its orbit. Additionally, materials from Phobos could be used for space industry.[121]

## See also

[edit]

* List of natural satellites
* List of missions to the moons of Mars
* Phobos monolith
* Transit of Phobos from Mars

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Phobos". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020.
2. ^ "Moons of Mars – the Center for Planetary Science". Archived from the original on 25 April 2023.
3. ^ Harry Shipman (2013) Humans in Space: 21st Century Frontiers, p. 317
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Natural satellites of the Solar System

* v
* t
* e

Moons of terrestrial planets and asteroids

| Earth| Mars| Asteroid moons

|
|

* The Moon

* Phobos
* Deimos

* Binaries
* List

* v
* t
* e

Moons of Jupiter

Listed in increasing approximate distance from Jupiter

Inner moons|

* Metis
* Adrastea
* Amalthea
* Thebe

Galilean moons|

* Io
* Europa
* Ganymede
* Callisto

Themisto|

* Themisto

Himalia group (9)|

* Leda
* Ersa
* S/2018 J 2
* Himalia
* Pandia
* Lysithea
* Elara
* S/2011 J 3
* Dia

Carpo group (2)|

* S/2018 J 4
* Carpo

Valetudo|

* Valetudo

Ananke group (27)|

* Euporie
* Jupiter LV
* Eupheme
* S/2021 J 3
* Jupiter LII
* Jupiter LIV
* Mneme
* Euanthe
* S/2003 J 16
* Harpalyke
* Orthosie
* Helike
* S/2021 J 2
* Praxidike
* Jupiter LXIV
* S/2021 J 1
* S/2003 J 12
* Jupiter LXVIII
* Thelxinoe
* Thyone
* S/2003 J 2
* S/2022 J 3
* Ananke
* Iocaste
* S/2017 J 10
* Hermippe
* Jupiter LXX

Carme group (31)|

* S/2016 J 3
* S/2022 J 1
* Jupiter LXIX
* Pasithee
* S/2021 J 6
* S/2003 J 24
* Chaldene
* Jupiter LXIII
* Isonoe
* S/2017 J 11
* Kallichore
* S/2021 J 4
* Erinome
* Kale
* Eirene
* Aitne
* Eukelade
* S/2022 J 2
* Arche
* Taygete
* Jupiter LXXII
* Carme
* Herse
* Jupiter LXI
* Jupiter LI
* S/2003 J 9
* Jupiter LXVI
* Kalyke
* S/2003 J 10
* S/2018 J 3
* S/2021 J 5

Pasiphae group (18)|

* Philophrosyne
* Eurydome
* Jupiter LVI
* S/2003 J 4
* S/2016 J 4
* Jupiter LXVII
* Hegemone
* Pasiphae
* Sponde
* Megaclite
* Cyllene
* Sinope
* Jupiter LIX
* Aoede
* Autonoe
* Callirrhoe
* S/2003 J 23
* Kore

See also|

* Rings of Jupiter
* Jupiter's moons in fiction

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Moons of Saturn

Listed in approximate increasing distance from Saturn

Ring moonlets|

* S/2009 S 1
* Aegaeon
* Bleriot
* Earhart
* Santos-Dumont
* Peggy
* Moonlets
* S/2004 S 3
* S/2004 S 4
* S/2004 S 6

Ring shepherds|

* Pan
* Daphnis
* Atlas
* Prometheus
* Pandora
* Epimetheus
* Janus

Alkyonides|

* Methone
* Anthe
* Pallene

Large moons
(with trojans)|

* Mimas
* Enceladus
* Tethys
* Telesto
* Calypso
* Dione
* Helene
* Polydeuces
* Rhea
* Titan
* Hyperion
* Iapetus

Inuit group (36)|

| Kiviuq subgroup (20)|

* S/2023 S 1
* S/2019 S 1
* S/2004 S 54
* S/2004 S 55
* S/2020 S 11
* S/2019 S 22
* Kiviuq
* S/2023 S 2
* S/2019 S 23
* S/2020 S 12
* S/2005 S 4
* S/2019 S 25
* S/2020 S 1
* Ijiraq
* S/2019 S 24
* S/2007 S 10
* S/2019 S 26
* S/2020 S 13
* S/2023 S 6
* S/2023 S 7

|

Paaliaq|

* Paaliaq

Siarnaq subgroup (15)|

* S/2004 S 31
* S/2023 S 19
* S/2023 S 3
* S/2020 S 19
* Tarqeq
* S/2019 S 14
* Siarnaq
* S/2019 S 32
* S/2020 S 3
* S/2005 S 6
* S/2019 S 6
* S/2004 S 58
* S/2006 S 23
* S/2020 S 5
* S/2023 S 22

Gallic group (17)|

* Albiorix
* S/2020 S 15
* Bebhionn
* S/2007 S 8
* Saturn LX
* S/2019 S 29
* S/2023 S 18
* S/2023 S 17
* S/2007 S 11
* Erriapus
* S/2019 S 31
* Tarvos
* S/2020 S 4
* S/2019 S 34
* S/2005 S 7
* S/2006 S 12
* S/2004 S 24

Norse group (197)|

| Low-inclination (12)|

* S/2023 S 38
* Skathi
* S/2020 S 17
* S/2023 S 20
* S/2023 S 30
* Hyrrokkin
* Narvi
* S/2019 S 37
* Bestla
* S/2019 S 11
* S/2020 S 27
* S/2023 S 46

|

Kari subgroup (15)|

* S/2006 S 1
* S/2004 S 45
* S/2023 S 27
* S/2006 S 3
* S/2023 S 33
* S/2020 S 30
* Kari
* Geirrod
* S/2019 S 17
* S/2019 S 19
* S/2019 S 18
* S/2004 S 21
* S/2004 S 36
* S/2019 S 20
* S/2006 S 29

Mundilfari subgroup (143)|

* S/2023 S 50
* S/2023 S 9
* S/2004 S 56
* S/2023 S 8
* S/2023 S 11
* S/2006 S 21
* S/2006 S 22
* S/2023 S 13
* S/2023 S 10
* S/2023 S 12
* S/2007 S 5
* S/2007 S 7
* S/2004 S 37
* S/2004 S 47
* S/2004 S 40
* S/2020 S 14
* S/2019 S 27
* S/2023 S 14
* S/2020 S 16
* S/2023 S 16
* S/2019 S 3
* S/2020 S 7
* S/2019 S 28
* Skoll
* S/2019 S 30
* S/2023 S 21
* S/2023 S 4
* S/2020 S 18
* S/2020 S 2
* S/2019 S 4
* S/2020 S 20
* S/2004 S 41
* S/2004 S 57
* S/2006 S 24
* S/2004 S 42
* S/2023 S 15
* S/2023 S 24
* S/2004 S 13
* S/2007 S 6
* S/2019 S 35
* S/2006 S 25
* Mundilfari
* S/2006 S 26
* S/2019 S 33
* S/2023 S 23
* S/2020 S 21
* S/2004 S 43
* S/2006 S 10
* S/2019 S 5
* S/2023 S 25
* S/2004 S 59
* S/2006 S 27
* Gridr
* Bergelmir
* Jarnsaxa
* S/2023 S 44
* S/2020 S 22
* S/2004 S 44
* Hati
* S/2004 S 17
* S/2004 S 12
* S/2020 S 23
* Eggther
* S/2023 S 28
* S/2023 S 37
* S/2023 S 26
* S/2019 S 36
* S/2006 S 13
* S/2023 S 48
* S/2023 S 29
* S/2007 S 9
* Farbauti
* S/2019 S 9
* S/2023 S 32
* S/2020 S 24
* Aegir
* S/2019 S 10
* Beli
* S/2023 S 31
* S/2020 S 25
* S/2023 S 34
* S/2023 S 39
* S/2019 S 12
* S/2004 S 61
* S/2006 S 14
* S/2023 S 40
* Gunnlod
* S/2019 S 15
* S/2020 S 6
* S/2020 S 26
* S/2023 S 41
* S/2004 S 7
* S/2005 S 5
* S/2006 S 16
* S/2023 S 49
* S/2006 S 15
* S/2023 S 42
* S/2004 S 28
* S/2020 S 32
* S/2020 S 8
* S/2020 S 28
* S/2019 S 38
* S/2004 S 48
* S/2023 S 36
* S/2023 S 35
* S/2020 S 29
* Fenrir
* S/2004 S 50
* S/2006 S 17
* S/2004 S 49
* S/2020 S 34
* S/2020 S 31
* S/2023 S 43
* Surtur
* S/2006 S 18
* S/2020 S 36
* Loge
* S/2020 S 33
* S/2004 S 39
* S/2019 S 16
* S/2004 S 53
* S/2023 S 45
* Thiazzi
* S/2020 S 38
* S/2020 S 40
* S/2019 S 40
* S/2019 S 42
* Saturn LXIV
* S/2020 S 39
* S/2019 S 41
* Fornjot
* S/2023 S 47
* S/2004 S 51
* S/2020 S 10
* S/2020 S 42
* S/2020 S 9
* S/2023 S 5
* S/2020 S 41
* S/2019 S 21
* S/2004 S 52
* S/2020 S 43
* S/2019 S 43
* S/2020 S 44

Phoebe subgroup (27)|

* Phoebe
* S/2006 S 20
* S/2006 S 9
* S/2007 S 2
* S/2019 S 2
* Greip
* Suttungr
* S/2004 S 60
* S/2007 S 3
* S/2006 S 11
* S/2019 S 7
* S/2019 S 8
* Thrymr
* S/2004 S 46
* Angrboda
* Gerd
* S/2019 S 13
* Skrymir
* S/2006 S 28
* Alvaldi
* Ymir
* S/2020 S 35
* S/2020 S 37
* S/2019 S 39
* S/2006 S 19
* Saturn LVIII
* S/2019 S 44

* Rings of Saturn
* Cassini–Huygens
* Chiron
* Chrysalis
* Themis
* S/2004 S 3
* S/2004 S 4
* S/2004 S 6
* Peggy
* Bleriot
* Moonlet
* In fiction

* v
* t
* e

Moons of Uranus

* Listed in approximately increasing distance from Uranus

Inner|

* Rings of Uranus
* Cordelia
* Ophelia
* Bianca
* Cressida
* Desdemona
* Juliet
* Portia
* Rosalind
* Cupid
* Belinda
* Perdita
* Puck
* Mab

Major (spheroid)|

* Miranda
* Ariel
* Umbriel
* Titania
* Oberon

Outer (irregular)|

| Caliban group (3)|

* Caliban
* Stephano
* S/2023 U 1

|

Margaret (1)|

* Margaret

Other retrograde moons (6)|

* Francisco
* Trinculo
* Sycorax
* Prospero
* Setebos
* Ferdinand

Geological features|

* Arielian
* Kachina Chasmata
* Yangoor
* Mirandian
* Verona Rupes
* Oberonian
* Hamlet
* Mommur Chasma
* Puckian
* Titanian
* Gertrude
* Messina Chasmata
* Ursula
* Rousillon Rupes
* Umbrielian
* Wunda
* Vuver
* Skynd

* v
* t
* e

Moons of Neptune

Listed in approximately increasing distance from Neptune

Regular (inner)|

* Naiad
* Thalassa
* Despina
* Galatea
* Larissa
* Hippocamp
* Proteus

Irregular|

| Triton|

* Triton
* atmosphere
* climate
* geology

|

Nereid (1)|

* Nereid

Halimede (1)|

* Halimede

Sao group (3)|

* Sao
* S/2002 N 5
* Laomedeia

Neso group (3)|

* Psamathe
* Neso
* S/2021 N 1

See also|

* Neptune trojans
* Rings of Neptune

* Category
* Portal

* v
* t
* e

Moons of likely dwarf planets

| Pluto| Haumea| Eris| Makemake| Gonggong

|
|
|
|

* Charon
* Styx
* Nix
* Kerberos
* Hydra

* ring
* Namaka
* Hiʻiaka

* Dysnomia

* S/2015 (136472) 1

* Xiangliu

| Quaoar| Orcus| Salacia| Varda| 2013 FY27

|
|
|
|

* rings
* Weywot

* Vanth

* Actaea

* Ilmarë

* (moon)

* v
* t
* e

Natural satellites of the Solar System

Planetary
satellites of|

* Earth
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune

Dwarf planet
satellites of|

* Orcus
* Pluto
* Haumea
* Quaoar
* Makemake
* Gonggong
* Eris

Minor-planet
moons|

Near-Earth
Florence
Didymos

Dimorphos
Moshup

Squannit
1994 CC
2001 SN263

Main belt
Kalliope

Linus
Euphrosyne
Daphne

Peneius
Eugenia

Petit-Prince
Sylvia

Romulus
Remus
Minerva

Aegis
Gorgoneion
Camilla
Elektra
Kleopatra

Alexhelios
Cleoselene
Ida

Dactyl
Roxane

Olympias
Pulcova
Balam
Dinkinesh

Selam

Jupiter trojans
Patroclus

Menoetius
Hektor

Skamandrios
Eurybates

Queta

TNOs
Lempo

Hiisi
Paha
2002 UX25
Sila–Nunam
Salacia

Actaea
Varda

Ilmarë
Gǃkúnǁʼhòmdímà

Gǃòʼé ǃHú
2013 FY27

Ranked
by size|

* Ganymede
* largest: 5268 km / 0.413 Earths
* Titan
* Callisto
* Io
* Moon
* Europa
* Triton
* Titania
* Rhea
* Oberon
* Iapetus
* Charon
* Umbriel
* Ariel
* Dione
* Tethys
* Dysnomia
* Enceladus
* Miranda
* Vanth
* Proteus
* Mimas
* Ilmarë
* Nereid
* Hiʻiaka
* Actaea
* Hyperion
* Phoebe
* ...

* Discovery timeline
* Inner moons
* Irregular moons
* List
* Planetary-mass moons
* Naming
* Subsatellite
* Regular moons
* Trojan moons

* Discovery timeline
* Inner moons
* Irregular moons
* List
* Naming
* Subsatellite
* Regular moons
* Trojan moons

* v
* t
* e

Solar System

* Sun
* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Ceres
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Orcus
* Pluto
* Haumea
* Quaoar
* Makemake
* Gonggong
* Eris
* Sedna

| Planets,
dwarfs,
minors|

* Terrestrials
* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Giants
* Gas
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Ice
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Dwarfs
* Ceres
* Orcus
* Pluto
* Haumea
* Quaoar
* Makemake
* Gonggong
* Eris
* Sedna
* Large Minor Planets
* Salacia
* Varuna
* Ixion
* List

|

Moons|

* Earth
* Moon
* Claimed
* Mars
* Phobos
* Deimos
* Jupiter
* Ganymede
* Callisto
* Io
* Europa
* all 97
* Saturn
* Titan
* Rhea
* Iapetus
* Dione
* Tethys
* Enceladus
* Mimas
* Hyperion
* Phoebe
* all 274
* Uranus
* Titania
* Oberon
* Umbriel
* Ariel
* Miranda
* all 28
* Neptune
* Triton
* Proteus
* Nereid
* all 16
* Pluto
* Charon
* Nix
* Hydra
* Kerberos
* Styx
* Orcus
* Vanth
* Haumea
* Hiʻiaka
* Namaka
* Quaoar
* Weywot
* Makemake
* S/2015 (136472) 1
* Gonggong
* Xiangliu
* Eris
* Dysnomia

Exploration
(outline)|

* Colonization
* Discovery
* astronomy
* historical models
* timeline
* Space probes
* timeline
* list
* Human spaceflight
* space stations
* list
* programs
* Mercury
* Venus
* Moon
* mining
* Mars
* Ceres
* Asteroids
* mining
* Comets
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Pluto
* Deep space

Hypothetical
objects|

* Bagby's moon
* Chiron
* Coatlicue
* Counter-Earth
* Chrysalis
* Fifth Giant
* Hyperion
* Lilith
* Mercury's moon
* Neith
* Nemesis
* Nibiru
* Petit's moon
* Phaeton
* Planet Nine
* Effects
* Planet Ten
* Planet V
* Planet X
* Subsatellites
* Synestia
* Theia
* Themis
* Tyche
* Vulcan
* Vulcanoids
* Waltemath's moons

Lists|

* Comets
* Possible dwarf planets
* Gravitationally rounded objects
* Minor planets
* Natural satellites
* Solar System models
* Solar System objects
* by size
* by discovery date
* Interstellar and circumstellar molecules

| Rings|

* Planetary
* Jovian
* Saturnian (Rhean?)
* Uranian
* Neptunian
* Minor objects'
* Charikloan
* Chironean
* Haumean
* Quaoarian

|

Formation,
evolution,
contents,
and
History|

* Star formation
* Accretion
* Accretion disk
* Excretion
* Capture theory
* Capture of Triton
* Circumplanetary disk
* Circumstellar disc
* Circumstellar envelope
* Coatlicue
* Co-orbital configuration
* Trojan moons
* Co-orbital moons
* Cosmic dust
* Debris disk
* Detached object
* Disk instability
* EXCEDE
* Exozodiacal dust
* Extraterrestrial materials
* Curation
* Sample-return mission
* Frost/Ice/Snow line
* Giant-impact hypothesis
* Grand tack hypothesis
* Gravitational collapse
* Hills cloud
* Hill sphere
* Interplanetary dust cloud
* Interplanetary medium/space
* Interstellar cloud
* Interstellar medium
* Interstellar space
* Kordylewski cloud
* Kuiper belt
* Kuiper cliff
* Late Heavy Bombardment
* Molecular cloud
* Nebular hypothesis
* Nice model
* Nice 2 model
* Five-planet Nice model
* Oort cloud
* Outer space
* Planet
* Disrupted
* Migration
* System
* Planetesimal
* Formation
* Merging stars
* Protoplanetary disk
* Ring system
* Roche limit
* vs. Hill sphere
* Rubble pile
* Scattered disc

Small
Solar
System
bodies|

* Asteroid belt
* Asteroids
* Ceres
* Vesta
* Pallas
* Hygiea
* active
* List
* families
* PHA
* exceptional
* Kirkwood gap
* Centaurs
* Comets
* Damocloids
* Meteoroids
* Minor planets
* names and meanings
* moons
* Planetesimal
* Planetary orbit-crossers
* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Trojans
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Trojan camp
* Greek camp
* Saturn
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Near-Earth objects
* NEAs
* Trans-Neptunian objects
* Kuiper belt
* Cubewanos
* Plutinos
* Detached objects
* Sednoids
* Scattered disc
* Hills cloud
* Oort cloud

Related|

* Double planet
* Lagrange point
* Moonlet
* Syzygy
* Tidal locking

* Outline of the Solar System
* Solar System portal
* Astronomy portal
* Earth sciences portal

Solar System → Local Interstellar Cloud → Local Bubble → Gould Belt → Orion Arm → Milky Way → Milky Way subgroup → Local Group → Local Sheet → Virgo Supercluster → Laniakea Supercluster → Local Hole → Observable universe → Universe
Each arrow (→) may be read as "within" or "part of".

* v
* t
* e

Solar System

* Sun

* Heliosphere

* Planets

* Rings
* Moons

* Mercury
* Venus
* Earth
* 1 moon
* Mars
* 2 moons: Phobos
* Deimos
* Jupiter
* Rings
* 97 moons: Ganymede
* Callisto
* Io
* Europa
* Saturn
* Rings
* 274 moons: Titan
* Rhea
* Iapetus
* Dione
* Tethys
* Enceladus
* Mimas
* Uranus
* Rings
* 28 moons: Titania
* Oberon
* Umbriel
* Ariel
* Miranda
* Neptune
* Rings
* 16 moons: Triton

|

Minor
planets|

| Dwarf planets|

* Ceres
* Orcus
* 1 moon: Vanth
* Pluto
* 5 moons: Charon, Hydra, Nix, Kerberos, Styx
* Haumea
* Ring
* 2 moons: Hiʻiaka, Namaka
* Quaoar
* Rings
* 1 moon: Weywot
* Makemake
* 1 moon: MK2
* Gonggong
* 1 moon: Xiangliu
* Eris
* 1 moon: Dysnomia
* Sedna

|

Asteroids
(Small Solar
System bodies)|

| Notable asteroids|

* Vesta
* Gaspra
* Ida
* Apophis
* Kalliope
* Pallas
* Juno
* Hygiea

|

Groups and families|

* Near-Earth objects
* Asteroid belt
* Trojans
* Venus
* Earth
* Mars
* Jupiter
* Uranus
* Neptune
* Centaurs
* Active asteroids
* Asteroid moons
* Meteoroids

Naming|

* Meanings of asteroid names

Trans-Neptunian
(Distant minor
planets)|

| Kuiper belt|

* Plutinos
* Cubewanos
* Arrokoth

|

Other|

* Sednoids
* Detached objects
* Damocloids
* Oort cloud objects
* Hills cloud

Comets|

* Lists of comets
* Periodic comets
* Non-periodic comets
* Sungrazing
* Great
* Extinct
* Lost

Lists|

* Solar System objects by orbit
* By size
* By discovery date
* Geological features
* Craters
* Minor planets
* Gravitationally rounded objects
* Possible dwarf planets
* Natural satellites
* Space probes
* Extremes
* Tallest mountains
* Largest craters
* Largest valleys
* Largest lakes

Hypothetical|

* Planet Nine
* Five-planet Nice model
* Vulcanoids
* Tyche
* Nemesis
* Planets beyond Neptune
* Claimed moons of Earth
* List of hypothetical Solar System objects

See also: Formation and evolution of the Solar System, list of the Solar System's objects by discovery date, by orbit, and by radius or mass, and the Solar System Portal

Portals:

* Astronomy
* Stars
* Spaceflight
* Outer space
* Solar system

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Israel

Other|

* Yale LUX

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