APOD: Ganymede: The Largest Moon (2017 May 14)

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APOD: Ganymede: The Largest Moon (2017 May 14)

Post by APOD Robot » Sun May 14, 2017 4:09 am

Image Ganymede: The Largest Moon

Explanation: What does the largest moon in the Solar System look like? Jupiter's moon Ganymede, larger than even Mercury and Pluto, has an icy surface speckled with bright young craters overlying a mixture of older, darker, more cratered terrain laced with grooves and ridges. The large circular feature on the upper right, called Galileo Regio, is an ancient region of unknown origin. Ganymede is thought to have an ocean layer that contains more water than Earth and might contain life. Like Earth's Moon, Ganymede keeps the same face towards its central planet, in this case Jupiter. The featured image was taken about 20 years ago by NASA's Galileo probe, which ended its mission by diving into Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003. Currently, NASA's Juno spacecraft orbits Jupiter and is studying the giant planet's internal structure, among many other attributes.

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Re: APOD: Ganymede: The Largest Moon (2017 May 14)

Post by neufer » Sun May 14, 2017 6:16 am

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Explorer wrote:

<<The JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) is an interplanetary spacecraft in development by the European Space Agency (ESA) with Airbus Defence and Space as the main contractor. The mission is being developed to visit the Jovian system focused on studying three of Jupiter's Galilean moons: Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa (excluding the more volcanically active Io) all of which are thought to have significant bodies of liquid water beneath their surfaces, making them potentially habitable environments. The spacecraft is set for launch in 2022 and would reach Jupiter in 2030. By 2033 the spacecraft should enter orbit around Ganymede for its close up science mission and becoming the first spacecraft to orbit a moon other than the moon of Earth. Proposed instruments include cameras, spectrometers, and an ice-penetrating radar.>>
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Re: APOD: Ganymede: The Largest Moon (2017 May 14)

Post by Boomer12k » Sun May 14, 2017 7:05 am

Ok, to right of center there is a dark boot... looks like a "water" version of Italy.... :shock:

BTW... did it WIN the snowball fight? Or did it LOSE the snowball fight?

Great pic.
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