Computer models show that the dust from the moons of Mars begins to form his ring
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In our Solar system there are four planets with rings. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. In the future this list may be added another planet. It may one day become Mars. One of its moons, Phobos, will collapse sooner or later, turned into a giant cloud of dust. However, the results of a new study may indicate that both satellites of the planet will be able to make (and to some extent has already made) a contribution to the future rings of Mars.
A Group of scientists from the Indian physical research Laboratory created a computer model of the volume of dust that can be lifted into space by the fall of meteorites on the two moons of Mars. By the way, for researchers still remains a mystery how it formed bizarre Phobos and Deimos. According to some assumptions that are tailored to reflect the characteristics of satellites and density, before they could be asteroids, and was just captured by the gravitational forces of the red planet.
Regardless of their origin, larger and closer to Mars the satellite in a couple of tens of millions of years be dragged to Mars and torn apart. Every hundred years, the orbit of Phobos is reduced by 2 meters, which eventually will lead to disaster.
If it turns out that Phobos has a strong enough structure, then a 22-mile body just falls on the dusty surface of Mars, accompanied by a fantastic apocalyptic end for Phobos, and perhaps for the red planet. If the structure of the satellite is less dense, it is likely to be torn apart, and formed after this event, the dust will be pulled and stretched in orbit of the planet, forming a ring around it. Despite the fact that the feature of the Red planet yet can boast, in its orbit, scientists have detected a certain amount of her dust.
With the spacecraft MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) scientists in 2015, found on the altitude of 150-300 kilometers above the surface of Mars scattered cloud of particles. Therefore, researchers began to wonder how much dust can be generated from satellites. The specialists compared the data measurements of the MAVEN models, which typically calculate the likely frequency of meteor strikes on Mars and its two satellites. The results showed that at the time, as the lightest particles of dust raised as a result of these events is likely to be just blown away by solar winds, larger particles will settle on the orbit of Phobos and Deimos. Moreover, the researchers found that about 0.6 percent of the particles currently on Mars, in fact, may belong to his two companions.
It is Expected that over time more and more heavy particle leaves the orbit of its satellites and will be attracted to the orbit of Mars, forming for him a ring. If Phobos will continue to lose mass in connection with the erosion and meteor impacts, eventually (when it will be complete destruction) he will leave more than a thin ring of dust, compared to the fact that can leave behind Deimos.
However, to say that a team of scientists on a hundred percent convinced in their calculations, it is not necessary. According to the portal New Scientist, quoting the words of the project Manager MAVEN Lila Anderssen, there is no direct evidence indicating the increase of dust particles in orbit near Phobos and Deimos.
"we still Have no conclusive evidence of the fact that the orbits of the moons can be noted high content of dust. I think the erosion process will require much more time" — said Anderssen.
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