Moons of the Giant
Planets
Reading is actually in the earlier
chapters of the text: 2,3,4 that we
have already done
The Galilean Moons of Jupiter
•
•
•
•
Io
Europa
Ganymede
Callisto
Volcanoes of Io
Io
Europa
Europa
Ganymede
Ganymede
Callisto
• No sign of volcanic or
tectonic activity
• But magnetic field
measurements say
that a salty ocean
beneath the icy
surface cannot be
ruled out
Callisto
Moons of Saturn
Titan
Cassini’s view of Titan in the IR
Mosaics from Cassini flyby
Cassini – radar mapping of Titan
From 8km up
Mosaic of descent images
Enceladus has an atmosphere
Uranus’s Moon Miranda
•
Not one of the largest moons, but shows an apparently fresh surface
Neptune’s Moon Triton
• Triton is larger than
Pluto and has a
peculiar orbit
• It orbits in a
retrograde direction,
in a plane highly
inclined to that of
Neptune’s equator
Triton – “seas” of ice or slush?