The international collaborative research team (in addition to Kobe University, Belgian and French research institutes and universities), including Hidenori Genda, a specially appointed associate professor at the Institute of Earth and Life Sciences, Tokyo Institute of Technology, found that the Martian satellites Fobos and Dimos are the same as the origin of the moon. Announced that it was clarified by computer simulation that it can be formed by a giant celestial collision.
Mars has two very small moons, Phobos and Deimos.Regarding the formation of this Martian satellite, there is a capture theory that an asteroid was captured by the gravity of Mars, but it is difficult to explain the current satellite orbit.Another hypothesis is the giant impact theory that it was formed by the impact of giant celestial bodies. Was unknown.
This time, the research team conducted an ultra-high resolution 3D fluid numerical simulation of the giant collision process that forms the Boreales Plain.As a result, celestial impacts scattered debris and formed a disk around Mars.A giant satellite made up of the disk material agitated the outer edge of the disk with its own gravity, promoting the formation of Phobos and Deimos.After that, the giant satellite fell due to the gravity of Mars and disappeared, leaving only the two satellites currently observed.However, when the colliding celestial body becomes larger than the main body of the planet, it will travel further away without falling and become a huge satellite like the moon.
In the simulation, the Mars satellite should contain a large amount of matter scattered from the main body of Mars, and in the demonstration, it is necessary to actually collect and analyze the matter from the Mars satellite.Currently, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is considering a Mars satellite sample return plan (launch in the 2020s).If realized, it is expected to lead to the elucidation of the origin of the Mars satellite.
