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Explanation: Callisto is half rock and half ice. This moon of Jupiter is approximately the size of the planet Mercury, making it the third largest moon in the Solar System, after Ganymede and Titan. Callisto's icy surface is billions of years old, lacks any sign of volcanic activity, and is densely covered with rifts and craters. These features are particularly apparent in this contrast-enhanced image taken by the Galileo spacecraft, and released last week. Visible near the image center is Valhalla, one of the largest impact craters in the Solar System, measuring about 4,000 kilometers across. The rings and size of Valhalla make its appearance similar to the Caloris Impact Basin on Mercury.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Jupiter - Callisto
Publications with words: Jupiter - Callisto
See also:
- APOD: 2023 June 25 Á Lightning on Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 June 13 Á Moons Across Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 May 24 Á Observatory Aligned with Moon Occulting Jupiter
- APOD: 2023 May 23 Á Jupiters Swirls from Juno
- APOD: 2023 March 15 Á Jupiter and Venus Converge over Germany
- APOD: 2023 March 6 Á Jupiter and Venus from Earth
- APOD: 2023 March 5 Á Jupiter and Venus over Italy