A Rare Encounter: Hera Captures Mars’ Dark Moon, Deimos

ESA’s Hera spacecraft has captured a rare close-up of Deimos, the smaller and lesser-known moon of Mars. The image, taken during a gravity-assist flyby on March 12, 2025, offers a unique look at the dark, cratered surface of this enigmatic Martian moon.

Deimos, just 12.4 km (7.7 miles) in diameter, orbits 23,500 km (14,600 miles) from Mars and is tidally locked, meaning the same side always faces the planet. The new images reveal a rarely seen hemisphere of the moon, deepening the mystery of its origins: was it a captured asteroid or formed from Mars itself? Hera's flyby was not just a scientific milestone but also a crucial maneuver for its primary mission: investigating the asteroid system Didymos and Dimorphos, the target of NASA’s DART planetary defense test.

Inspired by the Deimos? Check out our Mars Collection!

Continue reading about Hera Mars flyby over at ESA: ESA Hera Mission