Phobos (moon)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/phobos-moon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the orbital period?7 hours, 39 minutes, 14 seconds
2. What is the average orbital radius?9,377 kilometers (5,827 miles)
3. What is Phobos?Phobos is the biggest moon of Mars. It is about 27 km long, 22 km wide, and 18 km tall, so it looks more like a lump than a round ball.
4. Why does Phobos rise in the west and set in the east?Phobos moves around Mars very fast, finishing an orbit in just 7 hours and 39 minutes. Because of this speed, it appears to rise in the west, travel across the sky, and set in the east, which is the opposite of how Earth's moon moves.

Non-spherical Morphology: An irregular shape not conforming to a sphere, common in smaller celestial bodies.
Spectroscopic Analysis: Studying light reflected or emitted by an object to determine its chemical composition.
Orbital Decay: The gradual decrease in the altitude of an orbiting object due to external forces like tidal friction.