A picture of Mars moon Deimos.

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM), the first interplanetary exploration undertaken by an Arab nation, has unveiled a series of unique and ground-breaking observations of Mars’ smaller moon, Deimos.

Using all three of its science instruments to ‘advance our fundamental understanding’ of Mars’ most mysterious moon and its larger companion, Phobos. The new observations challenge the longstanding theory that Mars’ moons are captured asteroids and instead point to a planetary origin.

The observations, shared today during a special session at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly in Vienna, provide new insights into Deimos’ makeup and structure. These include high resolution images taken during the closest repeated flybys of the moon, as well as the first ever observations made in the extreme and far ultraviolet and the first well-resolved hyperspectral data of Deimos in the thermal infrared.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, announced this on his Twitter handle on Monday.

Sheikh Mohammed praised UAE’s young scientists for their contribution towards the march of human knowledge.

“In a new global precedent … the Emirates Mars Exploration Project, the “Probe of Hope”, approaches 100 km from the Martian moon “Deimos” .. and captures the clearest image obtained by humans of this moon …,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed.

“Theories tell us that this moon is an external asteroid that was captured within the orbit of Mars.. The Hope Probe refutes this theory to prove through its devices and its team that this moon was mostly part of the planet Mars and it separated from it millions of years ago.. just like the Earth's moon.. which was a part of it and separated from it.”