Fact Sheet
Battered Moon
Phobos, the largest moon of Mars, shows evidence of a pounding in this image from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, snapped March 23 from a distance of about 4,200 miles (6,800 km). The most prominent feature, at far right, is an impact crater named Stickney. Sharp grooves and chains of smaller craters, which may be related to impact that created Stickney, radiate away from the crater. The lighter-colored material on the crater's edge may be fresher than the rest of the moon's surface. The illuminated portion of Phobos spans about 13 miles (21 km), and the image shows features as small as a house. [NASA/JPL/Univ. Arizona]
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