Mars’ unique shape may be the result of a long-lost moon, according to a new hypothesis.
Mars is being deformed by its putative moon Nerio. Source: arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2408.14725
A U.S. Naval Observatory astronomer has come up with a hypothesis to explain Mars’ unique shape and topography, both of which he suggests are the result of a long-lost moon. Michael Efroymsky has published a paper outlining his hypothesis on the arXiv preprint server.
Previous studies have shown that Mars is different from other planets in the solar system in that it has a triaxial shape, meaning that its size varies along three axes. Mars also has impressive topography, including the tallest mountains and largest canyons in the solar system, as well as a unique highland called the Tharsis Ridge, which protrudes oddly from the surface.
The ridge, of unknown origin, is about 5,000 kilometers in diameter and is located near the planet’s equator. The planet also has another highland near the equator directly opposite the Tharsis ridge.
In the new study, Efroymsky suggests that a long-lost moon, which he’s named Nerio, may explain all of Mars’ unique features.
If Nerio was large enough, perhaps about one-third the size of Earth’s Moon, he suggests, it would have exerted a huge gravitational force on the surface, and in the planet’s early days, when the surface was still soft, its synchronous orbit would have pulled surface material upwards. As the planet cooled, the material would have remained in place, permanently bulging out.
The formation of the ridge would have further enlarged the equatorial oval, giving the planet a triaxial shape, and would have made the planet more prone to volcanic activity, leading to the development of a highland on the opposite side of the Tharsis ridge.
Efroymsky believes that Nerio’s fate could simply have been driven away by the gravitational pull of another celestial body, but more likely it was collided with a larger object and destroyed, leaving only its two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Efroymsky concludes that further research is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
Further information: Michael Efroimsky, “A synchronous moon as a possible cause of early Mars triaxiality.” arXiv (2024). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2408.14725
Journal information: arXiv
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Citation: New hypothesis says Mars’ unique shape may be due to a long-lost moon (September 16, 2024) Retrieved September 16, 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-09-hypothesis-mars-unique-due-lost.html
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