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,

The Hera probe has swung around Mars, using the planet’s gravitational pull to fling itself toward its asteroid target. During its brief rendezvous with the Red Planet, Hera caught a glimpse of the less-seen side of Mars’ smaller, tidally-locked moon as it orbited its home planet.