Hmmm, you'd think they could catch a glimpse at least, i'll check the orbits and viewing expected from the surface.

[Edited on 26-1-2004 by ScienceGuyQ]

They are too small and too dark (they absorb most of the light that hits them) to be seen from the surface of mars easily. At best a human with keen vision might make one out with a pair of binoculars at night when the sun is striking them. So unfortunatly stars and planets would be all you see from the Martian surface.

Originally posted by ScienceGuyQ
They are too small and too dark (they absorb most of the light that hits them) to be seen from the surface of mars easily. At best a human with keen vision might make one out with a pair of binoculars at night when the sun is striking them. So unfortunatly stars and planets would be all you see from the Martian surface.

Bummer, Thanks for the info, I appreciate it
I thought it would make for a very cool photo...

Yeah, it would make a nice photo, two moons in the sky. Unfortunatly they aren't much of moons, small and dark.

From what I can recall the last probe to photograph Phobos was a Russian one which also captured some anomolus images of the moon and later the probe lost contact or was destroyed. Too bad because there is a lot that we dont know about the moons of mars.

The British satellite may be able to snap some photos of Deimos and Phobos, but I think that its camera is directed only towards Mars.

They should have put a pancam on the mars express sat or at least cameras on both sides .