What is special about the Galilean moons?
The Galilean moons (or Galilean satellites) /ɡælɪˈliːən/ are the four largest moons of Jupiter—Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System, and is even bigger than the planet Mercury, though only around half as massive.
What are some interesting facts about Jupiter’s moons?
Jupiter has 53 named moons and another 26 awaiting official names. Combined, scientists now think Jupiter has 79 moons.
How big are the Galilean moons?
1,636.8 mi
Ganymede/Radius
Who named the Galilean moons?
Galileo Galilei
The planet Jupiter’s four largest moons, or satellites, are called the Galilean moons, after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who observed them in 1610.
How did the Galilean moons form?
The seeds that would ultimately become the moons were first formed in the disk of gas left over from the Sun’s formation. When Jupiter, coalescing out of the same disk of material, reached 40% of its current mass, the seeds were gravitationally captured by a disk of gas surrounding the infant planet.
How can the Galilean moons form around Jupiter?
What are the Galilean moons called?
67 moons orbit the great gas giant Jupiter; of these, the four largest are known as the Galilean moons, having been discovered by Galileo Galilei using his telescope in 1610. The four moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, in order of distance from Jupiter. (Their names derive from lovers of Zeus.)
How many Galilean moons does Jupiter have?
four Galilean moons
A comparison “portrait” of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons Io, Europa, Gany- mede, and Callisto, each with different characteristics.
What did Galileo name Jupiter’s moons?
In January 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered four of Jupiter’s moons — now called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
Where are the Galilean moons located?
Jupiter
67 moons orbit the great gas giant Jupiter; of these, the four largest are known as the Galilean moons, having been discovered by Galileo Galilei using his telescope in 1610.