Mars has two moons named which of the following?

Mars has two moons named which of the following?

• A. One moon: Phobos
• B. Four moons: Phobos, Deimos, Philae, Enceladus
• C. Two moons: Phobos and Deimos
• D. Three moons: Phobos, Deimos, and Leto

Answer: (D)

Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. These small, irregularly shaped bodies were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall and are named after mythological figures—the sons of Mars, with Phobos representing fear and Deimos representing dread. They’re much smaller than Earth’s Moon, and they orbit very close to Mars: Phobos orbits in about 7.7 hours at roughly 6,000 km above the surface, while Deimos takes about 30 hours at around 20,000 km up. Most scientists think they are captured asteroids rather than material that formed with Mars. The other options mix in objects not associated with Mars, such as a lander or moons of other planets, or propose the wrong number of moons, so the accurate statement is that Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.

Mars has two moons: Phobos and Deimos. These small, irregularly shaped bodies were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall and are named after mythological figures—the sons of Mars, with Phobos representing fear and Deimos representing dread. They’re much smaller than Earth’s Moon, and they orbit very close to Mars: Phobos orbits in about 7.7 hours at roughly 6,000 km above the surface, while Deimos takes about 30 hours at around 20,000 km up. Most scientists think they are captured asteroids rather than material that formed with Mars. The other options mix in objects not associated with Mars, such as a lander or moons of other planets, or propose the wrong number of moons, so the accurate statement is that Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos.