Question

Which statement about Mars' two moons is FALSE?

A: Both rotate synchronously, keeping one face turned towards Mars.
B: Phobos is larger than Deimos.
C: Both are very dark, heavily cratered bodies.
D: Both are in retrograde orbits.
E: Phobos revolves around Mars in less than a Martian day.

Answer 1

Phobos is not larger than Deimos; they are both irregular, heavily cratered bodies with retrograde orbits, but Phobos has a revolution time of less than a Martian day.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that is FALSE about Mars' two moons is B: Phobos is larger than Deimos. In fact, Deimos is smaller than Phobos. Phobos has a larger size with dimensions of about 26 kilometers, while Deimos has smaller dimensions of about 16 kilometers.

Both Phobos and Deimos are irregular, heavily cratered bodies, resembling other smaller asteroids. They are also both very dark and have retrograde orbits, which means they orbit Mars in the opposite direction of its rotation.

It is important to note that Phobos has a revolution time of less than a Martian day, which means it orbits Mars in less than 24 hours and 40 minutes.