Christopher Edwards, assistant professor in NAU’s Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, just processed new images of the Martian moon Phobos that give scientists insight into the physical properties of the moon and its composition. The images of the small moon, which is about 25 kilometers (15 miles) in diameter, were captured by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. When reviewed in combination with three previously released images, these new images could ultimately help settle the debate over whether the planetary body is a “captured asteroid” — pulled into perpetual orbit around Mars — or an ancient chunk of Mars blasted off the surface by a meteorite impact.
Along with scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Arizona State University, Edwards used the Thermal Emission I...
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