:: Jupiters : 63 moons !

Jupiter with its 63 moons.

Names coming from Zeus's servants etc...

Let me present the four mane ones, discovered by Galileo in 1610...

Europa

The latest discoveries show that there may be life on Europa, the ice field that covers Europa seem to hide a ocean, very exiting indeed but the possibilities of life are small.

Europa is smaller than The Moon but much brighter, in fact it's one of the brightest moons in the solar system. This is caused because of sunlight reflecting off a relatively young icy crust.

Europa is named after the gorgeous Phoenician princess, who (according to the Greek mythology) was gathering flowers when Zeus spotted her and instinctively fell in love with.

• Distance from Jupiter :670 900 kms.
• Diameter: 3 138 km.
• fourth biggest satellite from Jupiter
• Discovered by: Galileo

Io

A bit bigger than the moon, Io orbits around Jupiter from about the same distance as the moon is to the earth.

Active volcanoes are present everywhere on Io.

• Distance from Jupiter: 421 600 km
• Time to orbit Jupiter: 1. 77 days
• Diameter: 3 643km
• Discovered by: Galileo

Ganymede

Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter, as Callisto it is mostly composed of a rocky core with a water/ice mantle and a crust of rock and ice. It was formed with 60% of rock and 40% of ice.

• Distance of Jupiter: 1. O7 million km.
• Time top orbit Jupiter: 7.15 days
• Diameter: 5262 km

Callisto

As Europa, this satellite is brighter than the moon. Callisto is a bit smaller than Mercury but contains on third of its mass.

Callisto is surely the most heavily cratered object in our known solar system. Its largest crater is named Valhalla. Valhalla's diameter is 2 485 km.

• Distance from Jupiter: 1.88 million km
• Time to orbit Jupiter: 16.69 days
• Diameter: 4821km