Jupiter's Inner Moons

COLLECTION NAME:

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

mediaCollectionId

NVA2~4~4

NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection

Collection

true

Title:

Jupiter's Inner Moons

title

Jupiter's Inner Moons

Title

false

Explanation:

The potato-shaped inner moons of Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org… ] are lined-up in this mosaic [ http://galileo.ivv.… ] "family portrait" [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] of these tiny Jovian satellites. The individual images were recorded over the last year by NASA's Galileo spacecraft and are scaled to the moons' relative sizes. Left to right in increasing order of distance from Jupiter [ http://nssdc.gsfc.n… ] are Metis (longest dimension 37 miles), Adrastea (12 miles), Amalthea [ http://galileo.ivv.… ] (154 miles), and Thebe (72 miles). All these moons orbit in the zone between Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] and Jupiter's rings [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ], are bombarded by high-energy ions within the Jovian magnetosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ], and are probably locked in synchronous rotation [ http://www.seds.org… ] by Jupiter's strong gravity. Why are they shaped like potatoes? Like the asteroids [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ] and the diminutive moons of Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.… ], their own gravity is not strong enough to mold them into spheres.

explanation

The potato-shaped inner moons of Jupiter [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/amalthea.html ] are lined-up in this mosaic [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/ganymede/PIA01076.html ] "family portrait" [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970929.html ] of these tiny Jovian satellites. The individual images were recorded over the last year by NASA's Galileo spacecraft and are scaled to the moons' relative sizes. Left to right in increasing order of distance from Jupiter [ http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/joviansatfact.html ] are Metis (longest dimension 37 miles), Adrastea (12 miles), Amalthea [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/amalthea/ ] (154 miles), and Thebe (72 miles). All these moons orbit in the zone between Io [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971110.html ] and Jupiter's rings [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970807.html ], are bombarded by high-energy ions within the Jovian magnetosphere [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961018.html ], and are probably locked in synchronous rotation [ http://www.seds.org/nineplanets/nineplanets/help.html#syncrot ] by Jupiter's strong gravity. Why are they shaped like potatoes? Like the asteroids [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap970630.html ] and the diminutive moons of Mars [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961222.html ], their own gravity is not strong enough to mold them into spheres.

Explanation

false

Credit and Copyright:

The Galileo Project [ http://galileo.ivv.… ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

credit_and_copyright

The Galileo Project [ http://galileo.ivv.nasa.gov/ ], NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]

Credit and Copyright

false

keyword:

jupiter

keyword

jupiter

keyword

false

facet_where:

Ganymede

facet_where

Ganymede

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false

facet_what:

Galileo

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Galileo

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false

original url:

http://antwrp.gsfc.…

original_url

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap971127.html

original url

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UID:

SPD-APOD-ap971127

uid

SPD-APOD-ap971127

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false

MEDIA INFORMATION

Jupiter's Inner Moons