Mars' moon Phobos is on a collision course
Mars' moon Phobos is slowly spiraling inward due to tidal forces, destined to crash into the planet or shatter into rings in about 50 million years.
Phobos, Mars' larger moon, is slowly spiraling inward, destined to crash into the Red Planet or break apart into rings. Discovered in 1877, Phobos orbits incredibly close to Mars, just 6,000 kilometers above its surface. This extreme proximity creates powerful tidal forces, dragging the moon closer by about 1.8 meters each century. Unlike Earth's Moon, which drifts away, Phobos lacks the mass to resist Mars' strong gravitational pull.
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