This enhanced image of the Jovian moon Ganymede was obtained by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s … [+]
New data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft suggests that there are mineral salts and organic compounds on the surface of Jupiter’s giant moon Ganymede.
According to a paper published yesterday in the journal Nature Astronomy the findings could help planetary astronomers better understand the origin of Ganymede and the composition of its underground sea.
The infrared image data comes from June 7, 2021, when Juno flew over Ganymede at an altitude of 650 miles (1,046 kilometers).
“We found the greatest abundance of salts and organics in the dark and bright terrains at latitudes protected by the magnetic field,” said Scott Bolton, Juno’s principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Ganymede is the only moon in the solar system with a magnetic field. “This suggests we are seeing the remnants of a deep ocean brine that reached the surface of this frozen world,” said Bolton.
In orbit of the giant planet since 2016, Juno is now in a phase of its mission that periodically takes it close to some of the giant planet’s Jovian moons. In October, it conducted a very close flyby of Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io.
What We Know About Ganymede
Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter’s estimated 79 moons, is a unique body to study in the solar system.
With a diameter of 3,273 miles/5,268 kilometers, Ganymede is the largest moon and the ninth-largest object in the solar system, bigger than the planet Mercury and dwarf planet Pluto.
It has an atmosphere, an internal dynamo and an underground sea flowing between layers of ice underneath an icy shell. That sea may even host more water than all of Earth’s oceans around 100 miles/160 kilometres below the ice. Its ocean was first detected by NASA’s Galileo spacecraft in the 1990s.
In July 2021, scientists used archive data from the Hubble Space Telescope to detect ice turning directly into water vapor and is escaping from Ganymede’s icy surface.
In May 2022, it was discovered that Ganymede’s pock-marked, grooved and patterned surface may have been caused by a collision with a massive object up to 90 miles/150 kilometers wide.
Processed data from the Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) spectrometer aboard NASA’s Juno … [+]
Why A Spacecraft Is On Its Way To Ganymede Right Now
The European Space Agency’s $1.7 billion Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft blasted-off in April ultimately to go into orbit around Ganymede for nine months from late 2034. If it achieves that then it will become the first spacecraft to orbit any moon apart from our own.
Before it goes into orbit around Ganymede, JUICE will conduct two flybys of Europa, 21 flybys of Callisto and 12 flybys of Ganymede during 67 orbits of Jupiter.
It’s thought that by studying Ganymede close-up planetary scientists will get a better understanding other distant moons and dwarf planets in the solar system and beyond.
How To See Ganymede Tonight With Your Own Eyes
Jupiter and its moons this week reach opposition, the moment when Earth sits precisely between the sun and the planet. Since Jupiter takes 12 years to orbit the sun and Earth just a year, this must happen once every 13 months. Opposition puts Jupiter and its moons at their closest to Earth for the entire year.
Put any pair of binoculars on Jupiter—which is rising in the east at dusk and very bright—and you’ll likely see at least three of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io.
Jupiter is currently moving through the constellation Aries. It will next go into opposition on December 7, 2024.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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Jessica Irvine is a tech enthusiast specializing in gadgets. From smart home devices to cutting-edge electronics, Jessica explores the world of consumer tech, offering readers comprehensive reviews, hands-on experiences, and expert insights into the coolest and most innovative gadgets on the market.
