Abstract

Phobos, the inner satellite of Mars, appears to perform a secular acceleration in longitude. The cause of this acceleration has not, as yet, been satisfactorily explained. The possibility of tidal friction in the solid body of Mars appears to be the most reasonable process; however, some authors dispute this contention. In this paper, a range of the luni-tidal interval required to account for the observed acceleration is calculated and found to be 1.1 to 4.4 degrees.

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