Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2023 November 28
    [2]A tan sphere is shown with dark markings and a few light craters.
     The sphere is the largest known moon in the Solar System: Jupiter's
         moon Ganymede. Please see the explanation for more detailed
                                information.

                             Ganymede from Juno
      Image Credit & Copyright: [3]NASA/[4]JPL-Caltech/[5]SwRI/[6]MSSS;
                 Processing & [7]License: [8]Kevin M. Gill;

   Explanation: What does the largest moon in the Solar System look like?
   [9]Jupiter's moon [10]Ganymede, larger than even [11]Mercury and
   [12]Pluto, has an icy surface speckled with bright young craters
   overlying a mixture of older, darker, more cratered terrain laced with
   [13]grooves and ridges. The cause of the grooved terrain remains a
   [14]topic of research, with a leading hypothesis relating it to
   shifting ice plates. [15]Ganymede is thought to have an [16]ocean layer
   that contains more water than Earth -- and [17]might contain life. Like
   [18]Earth's Moon, Ganymede keeps the [19]same face towards its central
   planet, in this case Jupiter. The [20]featured image was captured in
   2021 by NASA's robotic Juno spacecraft when it passed by the immense
   moon. The close pass reduced Juno's orbital period around Jupiter from
   53 days to 43 days. [21]Juno continues to study the [22]giant planet's
   high gravity, unusual [23]magnetic field, and complex [24]cloud
   structures.

             Follow Podcasts about APOD's Images: on [25]YouTube
                     Tomorrow's picture: double twister
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    Authors & editors: [37]Robert Nemiroff ([38]MTU) & [39]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([40]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [41]Specific rights apply.
              [42]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [43]ASD at [44]NASA / [45]GSFC,
                         [46]NASA Science Activation
                           & [47]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2311/Ganymede2_JunoGill_3445.jpg
   3. https://www.nasa.gov/
   4. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
   5. https://www.swri.org/
   6. http://www.msss.com/
   7. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
   8. https://www.flickr.com/people/kevinmgill/
   9. https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/
  10. https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/moons/ganymede/facts/
  11. https://science.nasa.gov/mercury/
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960711.html
  14. https://www.gapphotos.com/images/WebPreview/0100/0100358.jpg
  15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganymede_(moon)
  16. https://youtu.be/9e1wrjFSjkI
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/debate/debate100th.html
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210503.html
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_locking
  20. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmgill/51238659798/
  21. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-juno-mission-expands-into-the-future
  22. https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/mission/
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200225.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230523.html
  25. https://www.youtube.com/@apodpodcast/videos
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231127.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  30. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  32. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  34. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  35. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=231128
  36. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231129.html
  37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  38. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  39. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  40. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  41. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  43. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/
  45. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  46. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  47. http://www.mtu.edu/