PIA02282: Ganymede - Close Up Photos
 Target Name:  Ganymede
 Is a satellite of:  Jupiter
 Mission:  Voyager
 Spacecraft:  Voyager 2
 Instrument:  VG ISS - Narrow Angle
 Product Size:  786 x 1722 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Producer ID:  P21755
 Addition Date:  2000-05-25
 Primary Data Set:  Voyager EDRs
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA02282.tif (1.036 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA02282.jpg (232.3 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

Two close-up photos of Ganymede, largest of Jupiter's 13 moons, were obtained on July 8 by Voyager 2 from 86,000 miles (top) and 192,000 miles. They show different views of the largest block of dark, heavily cratered terrain seen on the giant moon. The bottom image shows objects three to four miles across; has a resolution of about 1.5 miles. The light, linear stripes recurring across the dark region resemble the outer rings of the large ring structure on Callisto. If these features are in fact related to an ancient ring structure formed by a large impact, their small curvature suggests that the original structure was even larger than one seen on Callisto. There is no apparent trace now of the center of this suggested structure, which must have been destroyed by the resurfacing evident over most of Ganymede in the grooved terrain. Another interpretation is that these features are not impact-related rings but are internally produced fractures crossing the dark terrain, similar to the grooved bands.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL

Image Addition Date:
2000-05-25