Hera spacecraft captured an extraordinary near-infrared image of Mars’ moon Deimos during a flyby of the Red Planet. This marks the first use of Hera’s science instruments, providing a detailed view of Deimos silhouetted against Mars—a rare perspective of the lesser-known Martian moon.

ESA's Hera spacecraft inaugurated use of its science instruments to image the smaller of the planet's two moons, Deimos. What is it? The European Space Agency (ESA) launched its Hera planetary defense mission in 2024 to gather further data about the asteroid Dimorphos,

Like our moon, Deimos is tidally locked to Mars, meaning the same side always faces the planet—the only side visible to rovers on the Martian surface. The only way to see Deimos’ far side up close is for a probe like Hera to fly behind it, making such images more of a rarity.