Named after the cup-bearer to the Greek gods
on Mt Olympus, Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system.
At 3,280 miles in diameter, it's over one and a half times
the size of our moon, even larger than the planet Mercury.
The recent discovery of a magnetosphere around
Ganymede indicates the moon has a metallic core of iron or
iron alloy. On top of the core lies a mantle of ice and silicates.
The surface crust of Ganymede is composed of a thick layer
of water ice. |