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NASA的欧罗巴快帆号探测器在前往外太阳系的漫长旅途中，抓住了一个绝佳的拍照机会，从大约56万英里（约90万公里）的距离，在20分钟内捕捉到了火星及其两颗小卫星火卫一（Phobos）和火卫二（Deimos）的红外图像。这张图片不仅展示了三者罕见的同框画面，还帮助任务工程师对探测器的热成像相机进行了调优。图像中，火星居于中心，而火卫二和火卫一作为微小的光点分别出现在左上角和靠近中心的位置。为了让昏暗的卫星可见，工程师们对图像进行了提亮处理。该图像揭示了火星的极冠以及巨大的埃律西昂山火山。科学家对火星这两颗卫星的起源仍有疑问，它们可能是在轨道上被捕获的小行星，或是早期火星碰撞的碎片。欧罗巴快帆号此次任务使用的热成像系统（E-Themis）将用于探测木星的卫星欧罗巴，寻找可能支持生命的条件。
✨ 欧罗巴快帆号探测器在前往外太阳系途中，成功拍摄了火星及其两颗卫星火卫一和火卫二的红外图像。此次拍摄在2月28日进行，距离约为56万英里，历时20分钟，共采集了200帧图像，并最终合成为一张展示了三者热辐射特征的画面。
🌌 图像清晰地展现了火星的轮廓，包括其北极的暗色极冠（温度约-190华氏度）以及埃律西昂山等火山地貌。火星的两颗卫星火卫二和火卫一在画面中以微弱的光点形式出现，其中火卫二位于左上角，火卫一则更靠近火星。为了使相对暗淡的卫星能够被观测到，图像亮度被特意调整。
🚀 这次拍摄不仅提供了火星及其卫星罕见的同框视觉资料，也为欧罗巴快帆号的任务工程师提供了一个宝贵的校准热成像相机（E-Themis）的机会。该相机是探测器未来研究木星卫星欧罗巴的关键设备，旨在寻找可能存在生命的迹象。
❓ 关于火星的两颗卫星火卫一和火卫二的起源，科学界仍存在不确定性。目前主流的理论包括它们可能是被火星引力捕获的小行星，或是数十亿年前一次巨大撞击从火星本身分裂出来的碎片。这两颗卫星的大小和外观特征，如“比煤炭还黑”以及“看起来像被撞击过的土豆”，也增加了研究的神秘感。
🛰️ 欧罗巴快帆号探测器于2024年10月发射，预计2030年抵达木星系统，届时将对欧罗巴进行近50次飞掠，深入研究其表面、内部结构和化学成分，以评估其潜在的宜居性。
On its long journey to the outer solar system, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft made a planned detour — and seized a striking photo opportunity.
In a single frame, the uncrewed Europa Clipper caught Mars alongside both of its tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, as they waltzed through space, all glowing in infrared light.
The image, presented below, is more than a pretty picture. It offers a rare look at a planetary trio not often seen together, and it provided mission engineers a crucial chance to fine-tune the spacecraft’s thermal camera as it zipped past the Red Planet.
From about 560,000 miles away — more than twice the distance between Earth and the moon — Europa Clipper’s infrared camera snapped 200 individual frames over the course of 20 minutes on Feb. 28. The frames were later stitched together to reveal the glowing heat signatures of Mars, Phobos, and Deimos.
The result is a surreal view: Mars dominates the center, faintly surrounded by image-processing artifacts. At the upper left, Deimos appears as a tiny glowing dot. Closer in is Phobos, Mars’ larger and innermost moon. To make the dim moons visible — each about 250 times fainter than Mars — engineers brightened the image.
Left: From a half-million miles away, NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft captured Mars with its two moons, Phobos and Deimos, in space. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / SwRI
Right: To see a labeled view, swipe the slider above to the left. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / SwRI
Visible on the planet itself is a dark patch near the top, marking the frigid northern polar cap, where temperatures dip to about -190 degrees Fahrenheit. A circular region shows Elysium Mons, one of Mars’ giant volcanoes.
The Martian moons are rarely seen together, let alone with their host planet. The first time Phobos and Deimos were both caught on camera was in November 2009, when the Mars Express orbiter snagged the unprecedented image, according to the European Space Agency. The portrait, which showcased the duo lined up, one behind the other, took years of planning, precise knowledge of their orbits, and some lucky viewing geometry.
Scientists know relatively little about Phobos and Deimos, two of the smallest known moons in the solar system. Both are "blacker than coal and look like battered potatoes," according to ESA. Phobos is the larger of the pair, about 14 miles wide, and circles Mars three times a day. Deimos, just seven or eight miles across, orbits Mars every 30 hours.
Right now researchers aren't sure where the moons came from, and it remains a source of mystery. Some believe they could have been asteroids captured in orbit around the Red Planet. Others think they could be chunks of Mars itself, blown out by a giant collision billions of years ago.
The Mars Express orbiter caught Phobos, in the foreground, and Deimos on camera together for the first time in November 2009. The right side showcases the raw image; left, after processing. Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
The new Europa Clipper image was taken using one of the spacecraft’s thermal sensors, designed to detect heat instead of visible light. This tool will later be used to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, a frozen world believed to harbor a salty ocean beneath its icy crust — and possibly the conditions to support life. The instrument — the Europa Thermal Emission Imaging System, or E-Themis — should help identify places where Europa’s inner ocean might be interacting with its frozen shell — a key clue in the search for alien life.
The spacecraft used Mars’ gravity in March to tweak its path, a maneuver known as a gravity assist, on its way to the outer solar system. That close encounter provided a convenient moment to test instruments — and admire Earth's ruddy neighbor. Just a few days later, on March 12, another spacecraft made a pop-in for a gravity assist and some photos. That robotic spacecraft is on the European Hera mission to study the asteroid NASA intentionally crashed into three years ago.
Europa Clipper launched from Florida in October 2024 and is scheduled to arrive at the Jupiter system in 2030. Once there, it will perform nearly 50 flybys of Europa, gathering detailed measurements of its surface, interior, and chemistry. If NASA finds that Europa is a habitable place, a second Europa mission could return to determine if there are indeed any inhabitants.
