Ganymede
- Ganymede is the 7th moon in distance from Jupiter.
- the largest moon in the solar system.
- diameter of 3,270 miles, which is larger than the planet Mercury.
- Ganymede orbits Jupiter at a distance of 665,116 miles, and takes 7 days 3 hours to make one orbit of the planet.
- it is the only moon in the solar system known to have its own magnetic field.
- it has polar caps, possibly caused by ice interacting with plasma being funnelled down its magnetic field and creating a layer of frost.
- Ganymede has a low density meaning that even though it is bigger than Mercury it only has half its mass.
- Ganymede’s low mass is as a result of water ice making around half its composition.
- Jupiter’s gravity pushes and pulls at the moon causing underground friction, possibly producing one or maybe even two layers of salty liquid oceans under its surface.
.
Back to   Jupiter’s page /  Jupiter’s Galilean moons  /   The Solar System’s page