‘Space Potato’: NASA Photo of Martian Moon Phobos Leaves Internet Amazed

Phobos is the larger of Mars’ two moons, according to NASA.

The American space agency NASA regularly shares stunning images from our universe, leaving space enthusiasts enthralled. NASA’s social media handle is a treasure trove for those who love to watch educational videos and fascinating images showcasing Earth and space. Now, in its latest post, the space agency delighted its Instagram followers with a photo of a “space potato.” Yes, you read that right! The image, captured by the most powerful camera ever sent to another planet, is of Phobos, the larger of Mars’ two gnarly moons.

Sharing the photo, NASA wrote, “Phobos is the larger of Mars’ two moons — but it’s still only about 17 x 14 x 11 miles (27 by 22 by 18 kilometers) in diameter. Because Phobos is so small, its gravity is not” strong enough to pull it into a sphere (like Earth’s Moon), giving it its bumpy shape.”

“Phobos is also on a collision course with Mars—though it will take a while to get there. It is approaching the Red Planet at a rate of six feet (1.8 meters) every hundred years. At that rate, the moon or crash into Mars in 50 million years or break up into a ring,” the space agency added.

Take a look below:

The space agency said the image was taken by the HiRISE camera on its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. “The Martian moon Phobos stands out against the blackness of space. The moon is red-brown and bumpy, filled with a number of craters of all sizes. A white patch is visible near Stickney Crater, a particularly large crater on the to his right, NASA wrote in the image description.

The space agency shared the image just a few days ago. Since then, it has amassed more than 415,000 likes and several comments. Netizens were amazed when they saw the picture.

“It looks like it’s made of some kind of metal,” one user wrote. “Finally we find a potato in space,” commented another.

“Nice potato in space,” said one user. “Can we turn it into cosmic chips”, wrote another sarcastically.

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Notably, according to NASA, Phobos has no atmosphere and it orbits Mars three times a day. The other moon of the Red Planet is called Deimos. American astronomer Asaph Hall discovered both moons of Mars in 1877. Hall named the moons for the mythological sons of Ares, the Greek counterpart of the Roman god Mars. Phobos, which means fear, is the brother of Deimos. The crater was named after his wife and mathematician Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall.

According to NASA, measurement of day and night temperatures on Phobos has shown extreme variations. It had a high of -4 degrees Celsius and a low of -112 degrees Celsius. Scientists believe that this intense heat loss is likely the result of dust on the surface of Phobos, which is unable to retain heat.