According to computer calculations, the moons Phobos and Deimos of the red planet Mars most likely formed from the debris produced when a big asteroid passed dangerously close to it.
According to this new hypothesis, Phobos and Deimos were formed from the remains of a bigger asteroid that strayed too near Mars and went over its Roche limit, Space.com stated.
It’s also important to remember that the Roche limit was the distance at which the asteroid was torn apart by the excessive gravitational tidal forces coming from the planet.
“It’s exciting to explore a new option for the making of Phobos and Deimos — the only moons in our solar system that orbit a rocky planet besides Earth’s,”
