Potato in Space? What is Viral ‘Space Potato’, Check All Details

Explainer

NASA’s recent discoveries in space have caught the attention of Instagram users. People on social media are calling an object found in space a ‘space potato.’ However, the viral photos are not of a regular potato but of Phobos, one of Mars’ two natural moons. These images were taken by the powerful and high-resolution HiRISE camera. Since 2006, NASA has been studying Mars with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, which carries this camera.

Viral ‘Space Potato’ The so-called ‘Space Potato,’ scientifically known as Phobos, is 157 times smaller than Earth’s moon. It is named after the Greek god of terror. Mars has another moon called Deimos, named after the Greek god of fear. Recent studies of Phobos’ bright and uneven surface have led scientists to suggest a new theory: Phobos might have come from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and could have started as a comet. Scientists now think that both Phobos and Deimos were once stray asteroids that Mars’ gravity pulled in, making them part of its space system.

Phobos: The Unstable Moon Both Deimos and Phobos have unstable orbits. Phobos is getting closer to Mars at a rate of about 1.8 meters (6 feet) per year. It is expected that Phobos will either crash into Mars or break apart into a ring around the planet, while Deimos will drift away into space in the next 50 million years. One of Phobos’ most notable features is the 6-mile (10-kilometer) Stickney Crater, named after mathematician Chloe Angeline Stickney Hall, the wife of Asaph Hall, who discovered Mars’ moons in 1877. White ice streaks on Phobos’ surface add to its unique and fascinating look.