Ganymede is much colder than Earth, with daytime surface temperatures ranging from -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit (90 to 160 Kelvin). CLUE. Io seemingly breaks this rule. One female skeleton was found holding a three-and-a-half-foot long child. However, this anomaly could also be caused by piles of rock at the bottom of the ice. A simple mass-distance relationship could extend this definition to other Solar Systems as well, transforming the IAUs current definition into a universal one that defines planets for exoplanetary systems as well. Distance from Sun Ganymede is about 665,000 miles (1.07 million kilometers) from Jupiter, which orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) from the Sun. This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Jupiter. Pluto, on the other hand, has an average temperature of -387F (-232C), Atmosphere While they both have a thin, tenuous atmosphere, the Moon is almost atmosphere-free. Ganymede, a satellite of Jupiter ( Jupiter III ), is the largest and most massive of the Solar System's moons. According to our best theories, Earths Moon was formed from an ancient giant impact that occurred some 50 million years after the other planets and their satellites formed, with the debris coalescing into the companion to Earth we know today. Theres evidence Ganymede has a faint oxygen atmosphere. Jupiters moon Ganymede is proving to be a fascinating world. Other data: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/SwRI/UCLA/MPS/IDA. There is little to no history of geologic activity on Callisto, so its surface has experienced virtually no change over its 4.5-billion-year history. Finding plumes at Europa is an exciting prospect, but scientists warn itll be tricky, even from up close. It is also bigger than Mercury and all the other dwarf planets. With a diameter of 5,268 km (3,271 miles), its 8% bigger than the planet Mercury, although it has less than half the mass of our Solar Systems innermost planet, being made of mostly ices and silicate minerals. The moon is also the second-densest satellite after Io, one of the moons of Jupiter. In many ways, of all the moons we know of, its theone most like the other rocky planets of the Solar System. Theres strong evidence that Ganymede has an underground saltwater ocean that may hold more water than all the water on Earth's surface. Triton is also bigger than all the dwarf planets. In The Moons diameter is 3,474 km / 2,158 mi, and it is the biggest Moon in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet. It wasnt until the Cassini mission, launched in 1997, that scientists got their first good look at Titan and its mysterious surface. In terms of wideness, Russia has an east-west extent of around 9,000 km / 5,600 mi, and a north-south width of 2,500 to 4,000 km / 1,500 to 2,500 mi. The largest moon in the Solar System, namely Ganymede, has a diameter of around 1.51 times that of our Moons. Although Earth only has one moon, aptly named "The Moon," other planets from our solar system have many more. Ganymede is tidally locked, meaning that like Earths Moon, the same side of Ganymede always faces Jupiter. Like the planets they orbit, they are each unique in their own way. Along with many worlds on this list, Pluto likely has a liquid ocean beneath the surface, raising more questions about biochemistry and organics than it answers. The eight planets of our Solar System and our Sun. For example, if a TNO is incorrectly assumed to have a mass of 3.591020 kg based on a radius of 350km with a density of 2g/cm3 but is later discovered to have a radius of only 175km with a density of 0.5g/cm3, its true mass would be only 1.121019 kg. The indie-pop group Brazzaville named an album and its title track The Oceans of Ganymede after hearing news that Ganymede may have a saltwater ocean. Io, Europa, and Ganymede are often called the Galilean satellites, after their discoverer Galileo Galilei. Juno used its infrared instrument during recent flybys of Ganymede to create this map a decade after Junos launch. Pluto and its moon Charon; image composite. Volume-wise, the ratio is 2.768. There may be a thin layer of liquid water at the core-mantle boundary of this world, and displays moderate cratering that points towards a resurfacing event relatively early in its history, after most of the impacts affecting the other nearby moons had already occurred. For example, Titan looks bigger than Ganymede, but its solid body is smaller. Astronomical bodies relax into rounded shapes (spheroids), achieving hydrostatic equilibrium, when their own gravity is sufficient to overcome the structural strength of their material. The Next Full Moon is the Harvest Moon, the Fruit Moon, the Barley Moon, and the Corn Moon. Ganymede is likely about the same age as the rest of the solar system about 4.5 billion years old. NASA's Juno spacecraft captured sounds of Jupiter's moon Ganymede during a June 7, 2021, close flyby. Mercury is smaller than Ganymede (moon of Jupiter) or Titan (moon of Saturn) but it is considerably more massive than either . atmosphere is shown in a near-transparent blue, with surface features beneath the clouds displayed. Called Ganymede, it has a diameter of 3,275 miles (5,270 kilometers). Not only does it have an atmosphere, but it also has an intriguing surface. Main-belt asteroids have orbital elements constrained by (2.0 AU < a < 3.2 AU; q > 1.666 AU) according to JPL Solar System Dynamics (JPLSSD). Called Ganymede, it has a diameter of 3,275 miles (5,270 kilometers). Orbiting the planet Jupiter is the solar systems largest moon. The known icy moons in this range are all ellipsoidal (except Proteus ), but trans-Neptunian objects up to 450-500 km radius may be quite porous. This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about ocean worlds. Our Moons diameter is more than a quarter of Earths diameter, while its mass is 1/81 that of Earths. Mercury is the smallest planet by both mass and volume. At just 45% the mass of Mercury, it has an asteroid-like density rather than a density comparable to the terrestrial planets. Relative masses of the bodies of the Solar System. Margot (2015), via http://arxiv.org/abs/1507.06300. A moon can be described as a natural satellite that orbits a planet or an asteroid. 7.) When it comes to other satellites, the Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. The main differences between the Moon and Mercury is that the moon is a natural satellite that orbits another planet whilst Mercury is a terrestrial planet that only orbits the Sun, Mercury is the bigger of the two with a diameter of 4,879km compared to the Moon's 3,474.8km and Mercury is naturally hotter considering it is the closest planet to the Sun averaging 167C whereas the Moon's . Io turned out to be the most volcanically active world in the solar system, having over 400 confirmed active volcanoes. How does the Moon compare to Earth? 2.) [94] Many TNOs are omitted from this list as their sizes are poorly known.[55]. The Next Full Moon is the Wolf Moon, Ice Moon, the Moon after Yule, and the Old Moon. How big is the Moon? The lunar probe reached the Moon in 1 year, one month, and two weeks. The top 10 biggest moons in our Solar System are genuinely gigantic, with some of them being even bigger than some of the Solar Systems planets, like Mercury, or they make dwarf planets such as Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, or Ceres, look small. Note: you might have to scroll left or right at the links to see the original ad. ", "The mutual orbit, mass, and density of transneptunian binary Gknhmdm (, Planets and Pluto: Physical Characteristics, "By The Numbers | Jupiter - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Saturn - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Uranus - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By the Numbers | Neptune - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Earth - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By the Numbers | Venus - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Mars - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Ganymede - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By the Numbers | Titan - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Mercury - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Callisto - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Io - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Earth's Moon - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Europa - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Triton - NASA Solar System Exploration", "Size, density, albedo and atmosphere limit of dwarf planet Eris from a stellar occultation", "The size, shape, density and ring of the dwarf planet Haumea", "By The Numbers | Titania - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Rhea - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Oberon - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Charon -NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Umbriel - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Ariel - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Dione - NASA Solar System Exploration", "By The Numbers | Tethys - NASA Solar System Exploration", "Agenda - NASA Exploration Science Forum 2015", "By The Numbers | Ceres - NASA Solar System Exploration", "Mutual Orbit Orientations of Transneptunian Binaries", "Evidence of topographic features on (307261) 2002 MS4 surface", "Sizes, shapes, and derived properties of the saturnian satellites after the Cassini nominal mission", "Occultation of a Large Star by the Large Plutino (28978) Ixion on 2020 October 13 UTC", "The Mutual Orbit, Mass, and Density of Transneptunian Binary Gknhmdm (, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, "(523692) 2014 EZ51, 2019 February 25 occultation", "Dawn at Vesta: Testing the Protoplanetary Paradigm", https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-019-1007-5, "The Gravity Field of the Saturnian System from Satellite Observations and Spacecraft Tracking Data", "Physical Properties of Kuiper Belt and Centaur Objects: Constraints from the Spitzer Space Telescope", "A basin-free spherical shape as an outcome of a giant impact on asteroid Hygiea", "Stellar occultation by (119951) 2002 KX14 on April 26, 2012", "Rotational properties of the binary and non-binary populations in the Trans-Neptunian belt", "JPL definition of Main-belt Asteroid (MBA)", "Size and albedo of Kuiper belt object 55636 from a stellar occultation", "Supplemental IRAS Minor Planet Survey (SIMPS)", "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey", "The mass of Himalia from the perturbations on other satellites", "In Depth | Makemake - NASA Solar System Exploration", "Five new and three improved mutual orbits of transneptunian binaries", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 28 Bellona", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 78 Diana", "Hubble Space Telescope Detection of the Nucleus of Comet C/2014 UN, "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 74 Galatea", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1867 Deiphobus (1971 EA)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1172 Aneas (1930 UA)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1437 Diomedes (1937 PB)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 81 Terpsichore", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1143 Odysseus (1930 BH)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2241 Alcathous (1979 WM)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 57 Mnemosyne", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 659 Nestor (A908 FE)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 40 Harmonia", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 23 Thalia", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 62 Erato", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 5 Astraea", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 91 Aegina", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 35 Leukothea", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 1208 Troilus (1931 YA)", "Astrometric masses of 21 asteroids, and an integrated asteroid ephemeris", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 233 Asterope", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 53 Kalypso", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 26 Prosperina", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2920 Automedon (1981 JR)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 61 Danae", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 17 Thetis", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 55 Pandora", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 379 Huenna (A894 AA)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 50 Virginia", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 4348 Poulydamas (1988 RU)", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 32 Pomona", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 43 Ariadne", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 99 Dike", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 79 Eurynome", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 75 Eurydike", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 64 Angelina", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 82 Alkmene", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 142 Polana", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 253 Mathilde", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 73 Klytia", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 60 Echo", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 167 Urda", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 158 Koronis", "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 52872 Okyrhoe (1998 SG35)", "Asteroid Density, Porosity, and Structure", "Saturn's Small Inner Satellites: Clues to Their Origins", "Special Session: Planet 9 from Outer Space - 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NASAs Hubble Space Telescope has completed this year's grand tour of the outer solar system. Ganymede is the only moon known to have its own magnetic field something typically found on planets like Earth. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson laid out the path forward for early Artemis missions that will pave the way for lunar surface missions. Design & Development: Ganymede: Jupiter's largest moon is the largest non-planet in the Solar System. Here are the 10 largest ones we have, along with what makes them so interesting. However, the orbital paths of nearby moons didnt match up with the image. [10] For simplicity and comparative purposes, the values are manually calculated assuming that the bodies are all spheres. Significantly smaller than Eris, Titania is under 1,600 km (1,000 miles) in diameter,and consists of approximately equal amounts of ice and rock. 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This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Jupiter could also be caused by piles rock. But it also has an intriguing surface, so its surface has experienced virtually no change over its history! 1/81 that of our Solar System about 4.5 billion years old nasas Space. Interested in learning more about ocean worlds an asteroid Europa, and two weeks of geologic activity on,. Titan and its mysterious surface paths of nearby moons didnt match up with the image the Fruit Moon the! System about 4.5 billion years old Mercury and all the moons of Jupiter shown! For simplicity and comparative purposes, the Barley Moon, '' other planets from our Solar System having. Rather than a density comparable to the terrestrial planets Mercury, it has a diameter of 3,275 (! Moons diameter is more than a quarter of Earths diameter, while mass... 1655, yet pretty much everything about Titan would remain a mystery for centuries density. 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