Phobos {Moon of Mars} May Fall Victim To Gravity

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http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-mo ... 151110.htm

Interesting.

Each planet has a roche limit- the closest a natural satellite can get before the planet's gravity pulverizes it and turns into a ring (the rings of saturn lie within that planet's roche limit).

Our moon would have to be 40 times closer than it is to the Earth for that to happen to the Moon, but phobos is barely above the Martian roche limit for a solid object (its within the broader roche limit for a fluid object). So its not surprising that the little moon has "stretch marks" showing the strain of tidal forces.

Good luck, Phobos. Don't stop fighting!