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Ganymede's Nergal Crater
| title |
Ganymede's Nergal Crater |
| date |
09.06.1996 |
| description |
Two impact craters surrounded by an unusual ejecta blanket dominate this high-resolution image of the surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft photographed this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the jovian system. North is to the top of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. Nergal, the larger crater, is about 8 kilometers in diameter, while the smaller (unnamed) crater to its west is 3 kilometers across. The craters are situated in a region of bright grooved terrain named Byblus Sulcus, located in the northern part of Marius Regio at 390N latitude and 2010W longitude. The distinctive ejecta blanket that surrounds them is darker nearer the craters and brighter further away. The inner region of the ejecta is characterized by a lobate appearance indicative of the flow of a liquid (or slushy) substance over the surface. The flow was probably icy surface material melted by the energy released during the impact that formed the crater. The picture covers an area about 48 by 34 kilometers across at a resolution of 86 meters per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996, by the Solid-State Imaging System onboard the Galileo spacecraft. *Image Credit*: Brown University |
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Ganymede's Khensu Crater
| title |
Ganymede's Khensu Crater |
| date |
09.06.1996 |
| description |
The dark-floored crater Khensu is the target of this image of Ganymede. The Solid-State Imaging System onboard the Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the jovian system. Khensu is located at 20N latitude and 1530W longitude in a region of bright terrain known as Uruk Sulcus, and is about 13 kilometers in diameter. Like some other craters on Ganymede, it possesses an unusually dark floor and a bright ejecta blanket. The dark component may be residual material from the impactor that formed the crater. Another possibility is that the impactor may have punched through the bright surface to reveal a dark layer beneath. Another large crater named El is partly visible in the top righthand corner of the image. This crater is 54 kilometers in diameter and has a small "pit" in its center. Craters with such a "central pit" are common across Ganymede and are especially intriguing since they may reveal secrets about the structure of the satellite's shallow subsurface. North is to the upper left of the picture, and the Sun illuminates the surface from nearly overhead. The image covers an area about 100 by 86 kilometers across at a resolution of 111 meters per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996, by the Solid-State Imaging System onboard the Galileo spacecraft. *Image Credit*: Brown University |
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Ice-frosted crater tops on G
…
PIA00496
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Ice-frosted crater tops on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists believe that water-ice frosts are the likely cause for the brightening seen around the circular rims of these craters located at a high northern latitude (57 degrees) on Jupiter's moon Ganymede in this image taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft on September 6, 1996. The image, just recently radioed to Earth from the spacecraft, shows the same kind of bright, high-latitude surface areas as those first seen by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, but at higher resolution (this image spans about 18 kilometers or 11 miles on a side). Even though the Sun is shining from the south, the north-facing walls of the ridges and craters are brighter than the walls facing the Sun. This is interpreted to mean that the very bright north-facing slopes are covered with surface water-ice frosts, and that these frosts preferentially accumulate in such high-latitude locations. Galileo scientists say that at the high resolution seen in Galileo images, the high-latitude brightness seen by Voyager is partly attributable to frosts forming on cooler, north-facing slopes. The right-hand side of the image is dominated by a north-south line of impact craters, the smallest ones at the top are about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) in diameter and the large one at the bottom is about 5 kilometers (about 3 miles) in diameter. Ganymede is the largest moon in the solar system, larger than the planet Mercury and nearly the size of Mars. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Stereo View of Ganymede's Ga
…
PIA00521
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Stereo View of Ganymede's Galileo Region |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Topographic detail is seen in this stereoscopic view of the Galileo Regio region of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The picture is a computer reconstruction from two images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft this summer. One image of the Galileo Regio region was taken June 27, 1996, at a range of 9,515 kilometers (about 5,685 miles) with a resolution of 76 meters. The other was taken September 6, 1996 at a range of 10,220 kilometers (about 6,350 miles) with a resolution of 86 meters. The topographic nature of the deep furrows and impact craters that cover this portion of Ganymede is apparent. The blue-sky horizon is artificial. The Galileo mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Stereo View of Ganymede's Ga
…
PIA00498
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Stereo View of Ganymede's Galileo Regio |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
New topographic detail is seen in a stereoscopic view of this part of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. The newly processed picture is a computer reconstruction from two images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft this summer. One image of the Galileo Regio region was taken June 27, 1996, at a range of 9,515 kilometers (about 5,685 miles) and the other was taken at a range of 10,220 kilometers (about 6,350 miles) on September 6, 1996. The topographic nature of the deep furrows and impact craters that cover this portion of Ganymede is apparent. The blue-sky horizon is artificial. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede's Nippur Sulcus
PIA00497
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Ganymede's Nippur Sulcus |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
New terrain overlays older terrain, which overlays still older surface, in this view of part of the surface of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, taken by the camera onboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. Galileo obtained the images that make up this mosaic when it flew past Jupiter's moon Ganymede for the second time on September 6, 1996. An area about 54 kilometers (33 miles) wide and 90 kilometers (55 miles) high is shown. Northern Marius Regio (the dark terrain at bottom), Philus Sulcus (bright terrain at center), and Nippur Sulcus (bright terrain at top) are seen illuminated by the Sun from the southeast (north is at the top). The key characteristics and relationships of the major terrain types on tectonically active Ganymede are seen at a resolution 16 times better than images taken by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979. At the bottom, the ancient dark terrain is seen to be very deformed by tectonic fractures and faults. An impact crater about 18 kilometers (about 11 miles) in diameter has been highly modified by faulting. More recent cross-cutting fractures and faults at center illustrate to scientists the sequence of events that have created the younger bright terrain. The lines in the middle left of the image are faults that are cross-cut by younger faults in the upper part of the image. The smooth band in the upper middle of the image may represent water-ice volcanic deposits flooding a fault valley. Clusters of small craters, representing ejecta transported from distant craters and re-impacting here, are seen in the middle of the photo. The images that make up this mosaic were taken at a range of about 11,620 kilometers (about 7,200 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the Galileo mission home page on the World Wide Web at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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High Latitude "Bright" and "
…
PIA01608
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
High Latitude "Bright" and "Dark" Terrains on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
During Galileo's second orbit, a series of images were obtained within the northern polar cap of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, across a north-south trending boundary between the grooved terrain of Philae Sulcus and the dark terrain of Galileo Regio. The blurry appearing background of this scene is the best Voyager image of the area, at a resolution of about 1.4 kilometers per picture element. The Voyager data shows that the grooved terrain of Philae Sulcus to the west (left) is bright, and the older terrain of Galileo Regio to the east (right) is dark, however, this brightness difference is not at all apparent in the high resolution Galileo images. Instead, bright and dark patches occur in both Philae Sulcus and in Galileo Regio. The bright patches occur mostly on the north and east facing slopes of craters and ridges [ http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00496 ], which are expected to be colder, and therefore to collect frost in this high latitude region. The principal way that Ganymede's terrain types can be distinguished in the high resolution Galileo images is by their texture: the "bright" grooved terrain shows north-south trending ridges and grooves, and the ancient "dark" terrain shows a rolling appearance and is more heavily cratered. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the lower right. The image, centered at 63 degrees latitude and 168 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 94 by 64 kilometers. The finest details that can discerned in this picture are about 92 meters across. The images were taken on September 6, 1996 beginning at 18 hours, 52 minutes, 46 seconds Universal Time at a range of 2266 kilometers by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http:// galileo.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov ]. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo ] |
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Lumps Within Ganymede
PIA05077
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Lumps Within Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Scientists have discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Jupiter?s largest moon, Ganymede. These irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede?s icy shell for billions of years. This mosaic of Jupiter?s moon Ganymede consists of more than 100 images acquired with NASA?s Voyager and Galileo spacecrafts. The gravity anomalies or lumps inferred from the Galileo radio Doppler data are shown in red. The mosaic shows the surface of Ganymede with its geographic coordinate system and the Galileo gravity results superimposed. The trajectory path of Galileo?s second Ganymede flyby on September 6, 1996, is shown in green. There are no obvious geologic features associated with the anomalies. For images and information about the Galileo mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://www.jpl.nasa.gov ]. |
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Secondary Craters on Ganymed
…
PIA01061
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Secondary Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two large, ancient impact craters, known as palimpsests, have modified this area of dark terrain on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. In lower resolution images from the Voyager mission in 1979, it was observed that the diffuse edge of a large, circular bright feature cut through this area. This image was obtained by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft, on September 6, 1996, at a higher resolution of 190 meters (623 feet) per picture element (pixel). North is to the top. The diffuse margin of this palimpsest is noticeable only as a gradual increase in the area covered by bright hummocks toward the western edge of the image. A more recent palimpsest-forming impact to the south has peppered this area with chains and clusters of secondary craters ranging from 5.7 to 1.2 kilometers (3.5 to 0.7 miles) in diameter. The image covers an area of 73 by 65 kilometers (45 by 40 miles). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Grooves and Craters on Ganym
…
PIA01059
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Grooves and Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Grooved terrain in this area of Nippur Sulcus on Jupiter's moon Ganymede is composed of ridges and troughs spaced 1 to 2 kilometers (0.6 to 1.2 miles) apart. North is to the top. A few broad (4 to 5 kilometer (2.5 to 3.1 mile) wide) ridges such as those in the northeast and southwest corners have smaller ridges on top of them. A 12 kilometer (7 mile) diameter impact crater is superimposed on these ridges. A dark ring at the base of the crater walls may be due to a collection of dark material at the base of the steep slopes. The image is 49 by 41 kilometers (30 by 25 miles) with a resolution of 200 meters (656 feet) per picture element (pixel). This image was obtained on September 6, 1996 by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Ganymede Groove Lanes
PIA01056
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Ganymede Groove Lanes |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
An ancient dark terrain surface is cut by orthogonal sets of fractures on Jupiter's moon Ganymede. Subdued pits visible on unbroken blocks are the remnants of impact craters which have degraded with time. Across the top of the image, a line of these subdued pits may have been a chain of craters which are now cut apart by the northwest to southeast trending fractures. North is to the top. Younger craters appear as bright circles. The fractures in this image range from less than 100 meters (328 feet) to over a kilometer (0.62 miles) in width. They display bright walls where cleaner ice may be exposed, and deposits of dark material fill their floors. This 27 by 22 kilometer (17 by 14 mile) image of northern Marius Regio was obtained on September 6, 1996 by NASA's Galileo spacecraft at a resolution of 85 meters (278 feet) per picture element (pixel). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Fractures in Transitional Te
…
PIA01062
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Fractures in Transitional Terrain on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This area of dark terrain on Jupiter's moon Ganymede lies near a transitional area between dark and bright terrain. The dark surface is cut by a pervasive network of fractures, which range in width from the limit of resolution up to 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles). Bright material is exposed in the walls of the chasms, and dark material fills the troughs. The impurities which darken the ice on the surface of dark terrain may be only a thin veneer over a brighter ice crust. Over time, these materials may be shed down steep slopes, where they collect in low areas. The image is 68 by 54 kilometers (42 by 33 miles), and has a resolution of 190 meters (623 feet) per picture element (pixel). North is to the top. This image was obtained on September 6, 1996 by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system aboard NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Bright and Dark Slopes on Ga
…
PIA01058
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Bright and Dark Slopes on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Ridges on the edge of Ganymede's north polar cap show bright east-facing slopes and dark west-facing slopes with troughs of darker material below the larger ridges. North is to the top. The bright slopes may be due to grain size differences, differences in composition between the original surface and the underlying material, frost deposition, or illumination effects. The large 2.4 kilometer (1.5 mile) diameter crater in this image shows frost deposits located on the north-facing rim slope, away from the sun. A smaller 675 meter (2200 foot) diameter crater in the center of the image is surrounded by a bright deposit which may be ejecta from the impact. Ejecta deposits such as this are uncommon for small craters on Ganymede. This image measures 18 by 19 kilometers (11 by 12 miles) and has a resolution of 45 meters (148 feet) per pixel. NASA's Galileo spacecraft obtained this image on September 6, 1996 during its second orbit around Jupiter. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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A Polar Crater on Ganymede
PIA01057
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
A Polar Crater on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This circular 36 kilometer (22 mile) diameter impact crater near the north pole of Jupiter's moon Ganymede has a floor that is partially brightened. On September 6, 1996, NASA's Galileo spacecraft obtained images of an 18 kilometer (11 miles) wide swath through this area. The Galileo data, acquired at a resolution of 46 meters (151 feet) pixel (picture element), is shown overlain on data obtained by NASA's Voyager spacecraft in 1979. In Voyager data the crater was thought to be flooded by icy volcanism, but in Galileo data it is seen to be brightened by frost deposition. The Voyager data, taken at a resolution of 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) per pixel, shows a circular feature with a bright deposit on the northern half of its floor. North is toward the top of the picture. Illumination in the image is from the southeast, and frost appears to be collecting on north facing slopes of ridges and crater rims. Fractures cross the floor of the large crater, and the northeastern rim displays two large blocks of ice which have collapsed off the side of the steep crater wall. The Galileo images were taken by the Solid State Imaging (CCD) system at a range of about 2243 kilometers (1391 miles) from the surface of Ganymede. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. Background information and educational context for the images can be found at URL http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo |
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Khensu Crater on Ganymede
PIA01090
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Khensu Crater on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
The dark-floored crater, Khensu, is the target of this image of Ganymede. The solid state imaging camera on NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. Khensu is located at 2 degrees latitude and 153 degrees longitude in a region of bright terrain known as Uruk Sulcus, and is about 13 kilometers (8 miles) in diameter. Like some other craters on Ganymede, it possesses an unusually dark floor and a bright ejecta blanket. The dark component may be residual material from the impactor that formed the crater. Another possibility is that the impactor may have punched through the bright surface to reveal a dark layer beneath. Another large crater named El is partly visible in the top-right corner of the image. This crater is 54 kilometers (34 miles) in diameter and has a small "pit" in its center. Craters with such a "central pit" are common across Ganymede and are especially intriguing since they may reveal secrets about the structure of the satellite's shallow subsurface. North is to the top-left of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from nearly overhead. The image covers an area about 100 kilometers (62 miles) by 86 kilometers (54 miles) across at a resolution of 111 meters (370 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996 by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Fractured Craters on Ganymed
…
PIA01089
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Fractured Craters on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two highly fractured craters are visible in this high resolution image of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. The two craters in the center of the image lie in the ancient dark terrain of Marius Regio, at 40 degrees latitude and 201 degrees longitude, at the border of a region of bright grooved terrain known as Byblus Sulcus (the eastern portion of which is visible on the left of this image). Pervasive fracturing has occurred in this area that has completely disrupted these craters and destroyed their southern and western walls. Such intense fracturing has occurred over much of Ganymede's surface and has commonly destroyed older features. The image covers an area approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) by 18 kilometers (11 miles) across at a resolution of 86 meters (287 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996 by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Geological mysteries on Gany
…
PIA01087
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Geological mysteries on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
This image shows some unusual features on the surface of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. The region is located at 31 degrees latitude, 186 degrees longitude in the north of Marius Regio, a region of ancient dark terrain, and is near the border of a large swathe of younger, heavily tectonised bright terrain known as Nippur Sulcus. Situated in the transitional region between these two terrain types, the area shown here contains many complex tectonic structures, and small fractures can be seen crisscrossing the image. North is to the top-left of the picture, and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. This image is centered on an unusual semicircular structure about 33 kilometers (20 miles) across. A 38 kilometer (24 miles) long, remarkably linear feature cuts across its northern extent, and a wide east-west fault system marks its southern boundary. The origin of these features is the subject of much debate among scientists analyzing the data. Was the arcuate structure part of a larger feature? Is the straight lineament the result of internal or external processes? Scientists continue to study this data in order to understand the surface processes occurring on this complex satellite. The image covers an area approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) by 52 kilometers (32 miles) across. The resolution is 189 meters (630 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on September 6, 1996 at a range of 9,971 kilometers (6,232 miles) by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Grooved Terrain in Nippur Su
…
PIA01086
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Grooved Terrain in Nippur Sulcus on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Complex sets of ridges and grooves are visible in this image of the Nippur Sulcus region on Jupiter's largest moon Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. The Nippur Sulcus region is an example of Bright Terrain on Ganymede which is typified by multiple sets of ridges and grooves. The intersections of these sets reveal complex age relationships. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast (lower right). In this image a younger sinuous northwest-southeast trending groove set cuts through and apparently destroys the older east-west trending features on the right of the image, allowing scientists to determine the sequence of events that led to the region's formation. The area contains many impact craters. The large crater in the bottom of the image is about 12 kilometers (8 miles) in diameter. The image, centered at 51 degrees latitude and 204 degrees longitude, covers an area approximately 79 kilometers (50 miles) by 57 kilometers (36 miles) across. The resolution is 93 meters (330 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on September 6, 1996 at a range of 9,971 kilometers (6,232 miles) by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Nergal Crater on Ganymede
PIA01088
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Nergal Crater on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Two impact craters surrounded by an unusual ejecta blanket dominate this high resolution image of the surface of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede. NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. North is to the top of the picture and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. Nergal, the larger crater, is about eight kilometers (five miles) in diameter, while the smaller (unnamed) crater to its west is three kilometers (1.8 miles) across. The craters are situated in a region of bright grooved terrain named Byblus Sulcus, located in the northern part of Marius Regio at 39 degrees latitude and 201 degrees longitude. The distinctive ejecta blanket that surrounds them is darker nearer the craters and brighter further away. The inner region of the ejecta is characterized by a lobate appearance indicative of the flow of a liquid (or slushy) substance over the surface. The flow was probably icy surface material melted by the energy released during the impact that formed the crater. The picture covers an area about 48 kilometers (30 miles) by 34 kilometers (21 miles) across at a resolution of 86 meters (287 feet) per picture element. The image was taken on September 6, 1996 by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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Complex Tectonism on Ganymed
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PIA01091
Jupiter
Solid-State Imaging
| Title |
Complex Tectonism on Ganymede |
| Original Caption Released with Image |
Complex tectonism is evident in these images of Ganymede's surface. The solid state imaging camera on NASA's Galileo spacecraft imaged this region as it passed Ganymede during its second orbit through the Jovian system. The 80 kilometer (50 mile) wide lens-shaped feature in the center of the image is located at 32 degrees latitude and 188 degrees longitude along the border of a region of ancient dark terrain known as Marius Regio, and is near an area of younger bright terrain named Nippur Sulcus. The tectonism that created the structures in the bright terrain nearby has strongly affected the local dark terrain to form unusual structures such as the one shown here. The lens-like appearance of this feature is probably due to shearing of the surface, where areas have slid past each other and also rotated slightly. Note that in several places in these images, especially around the border of the lens-shaped feature, bright ridges appear to turn into dark grooves. Analysis of the geologic structures in areas like this are helping scientists to understand the complex tectonic history of Ganymede. North is to the top-left of the image, and the sun illuminates the surface from the southeast. The image covers an area about 63 kilometers (39 miles) by 120 kilometers (75 miles) across at a resolution of 188 meters (627 feet) per picture element. The images were taken on September 6, 1996 at a range of 18,522 kilometers (11,576 miles) by the solid state imaging (CCD) system on NASA's Galileo spacecraft. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the Galileo mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is an operating division of California Institute of Technology (Caltech). This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov. |
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