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Astronomical objects discovered in 1610Discoveries by Galileo GalileiGanymede (moon)Moons of Jupiter

Ganymede (moon)

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A stunning photo of Ganymede, one of Jupiter's largest moons, captured by the Juno spacecraft during its flyby in 2021.

What is Ganymede?

Ganymede is a big, round world that spins around the planet Jupiter. It is the biggest moon in our whole Solar System! Even though it is bigger than the planet Mercury, it does not feel as heavy because it is not as thick.

A Special Moon

Ganymede is made of rocky stuff and lots of water. Scientists think there might be a big ocean inside it, maybe even more water than we have on Earth! Ganymede is also very special because it has its own tiny magnetic field, something only a few moons can do.

Visiting Ganymede

Many space machines have flown by Ganymede to take pictures and learn about it. Famous ones include Pioneer 10, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2. A new space machine called the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer was sent up in 2023. It will visit Ganymede and other moons of Jupiter to discover even more secrets!

Images

A colorful portrait of the planet Jupiter as captured by the Cassini space probe, showcasing its swirling clouds and atmospheric patterns.
A comparison of the sizes of Earth, our Moon, and Ganymede, one of Jupiter's largest moons.
Illustration of Jupiter's moon Ganymede showing its auroral belts, suggesting the presence of a subsurface saltwater ocean.
A detailed map of Ganymede, showing its surface features and geographical regions.
A colorful view of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, showing the boundary between its dark, ancient terrain and bright, younger terrain, captured by NASA's Galileo spacecraft.
A stunning view of the planet Jupiter and its four largest moons — Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto — captured by the Voyager 1 spacecraft.
An image of asteroid 243 Ida and its tiny moon Dactyl taken by the Galileo spacecraft in 1993, showing the surface features of these space rocks.
A colorful educational montage showing the planets of our solar system—Mercury, Venus, Earth with its Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—all taken by NASA spacecraft.
A colorful view of Jupiter's turbulent clouds, showing swirling patterns and weather systems captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft.
Animation showing how the moons Io, Europa, and Ganymede move in a special pattern around Jupiter, with color highlights to show when they line up.
A scientific map showing temperature variations on Ganymede, one of Jupiter's moons.
An image of Ganymede, one of Jupiter's largest moons, taken by the Pioneer 10 spacecraft during its journey through space.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Ganymede (moon), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.