Phobos, the Moon of Mars, is on a collision course with the planet; Will our Moon have the same fate?

Mars, the Red Planet, has been the scene of a rare astronomical event that has gained prominence on social media. This because PhobosMars’ smallest moon, was spotted eclipsing the sun by rover Perseverance, from NASA.

Studies indicate that, in a few million years, Phobos will collide with the planet or it will fragment into a ring, transforming into an impressive cosmic spectacle.

And this could be about to happen. But will our Moon also suffer the same fate as Phobos? That’s what you’ll discover next.

Will our Moon suffer the same fate as Phobos?

Source: Ellen11/Canva Pro

With just 11 kilometers in diameter, this Moon has been an object of curiosity and received the nickname “doomed moon” due to its dangerous orbit, which brings it dangerously close to Mars.

Comparatively, our Moon, in stable orbit around Earth, provides a completely different view. The reason for its stable orbit is related to its greater mass, which makes it less susceptible to Earth’s gravity, and the considerable distance between the Earth and the Moon.

According to experts at the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), we will still enjoy total solar eclipses for about 600 million years.

Although highly unlikely, it is scientifically possible that billions of years in the future the Moon will stop moving away and begin moving closer to Earth. In this hypothetical collision scenario, both celestial bodies would be destroyed, resulting in the total extinction of life on the planet.

Experts at the Te Awamutu Space Center in New Zealand project that, if this happened, the Earth would be divided into several smaller pieces, given the density of our Moon.

Do we need to worry?

However, it is important to emphasize that this remote possibility should not be a cause for immediate concern, as such an event would occur in a distant era, long after the moment when the Sun will transform into a red giant, making our planet uninhabitable.

As Phobos faces its inevitable fate of collision with Mars, our Moon will continue to shine in its stable orbit around Earth, making these two moons sisters in their contrasting fates in the vast and mysterious Universe.