Is Ganymede able to support life?

It takes Ganymede about seven Earth-days to orbit Jupiter. However, it is too thin to support life as we know it; it is unlikely that any living organisms inhabit Ganymede. Magnetosphere: Ganymede is the only satellite in the solar system to have a magnetosphere.

Why does Ganymede have a salty ocean?

Its density is low, meaning it probably is a mixture of rock and ice—that’s common for moons in the outer planets. In the 1990s, the Galileo spacecraft flew past the moon several times, and careful measurements of its magnetic field indicated it might have an ocean of liquid water deep under its surface.

What are Jupiter’s moons that support life?

Moon Europa
A new model from NASA scientists supports the theory that the interior ocean in Jupiter’s moon Europa would be able to sustain life.

Do Jupiter’s moons have life?

Robots may have to dig relatively deep on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa to have a shot of finding signs of life, a new study suggests. Scientists think Europa harbors a huge ocean of liquid water beneath its icy shell. As a result, Europa is generally regarded as one of the solar system’s best bets to harbor alien life.

Does Ganymede have more water than Earth?

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the largest moon — and the ninth-largest object — in the Solar System. It may hold more water than all of Earth’s oceans, but temperatures there are so cold that water on the surface freezes and the ocean lies roughly 160 kilometers below the crust.

Is there liquid water on Ganymede?

Ganymede is composed of approximately equal amounts of silicate rock and water. It is a fully differentiated body with an iron-rich, liquid core, and an internal ocean that may contain more water than all of Earth’s oceans combined. Its surface is composed of two main types of terrain.

Does Ganymede have salt water?

A salty ocean is lurking beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have found. The ocean on Ganymede — which is buried under a thick crust of ice — could actually harbor more water than all of Earth’s surface water combined, according to NASA officials.

How does Ganymede have liquid water?

Ganymede’s surface temperature can vary significantly over the course of a day. Around noon at the moon’s equator, it becomes warm enough for the icy surface to sublimate, or release small amounts of water molecules — which explains the differences seen in the ultraviolet images taken by Hubble.

Does Ganymede have water?

Does Jupiter moon Ganymede have water?

Is there a salty ocean on Ganymede?

A salty ocean is lurking beneath the surface of Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have found. The ocean on Ganymede—which is buried under a thick crust of ice—could actually harbor more water than all of Earth’s surface water combined, according to NASA officials.

Is there water on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede?

Jupiter’s Moon Ganymede Has a Salty Ocean with More Water than Earth. Scientists have long suspected that there was an ocean of liquid water on Ganymede — the largest moon in the solar system, at about 3,273 miles (5,268 kilometers) across — has an ocean of liquid water beneath its surface.

What are some interesting facts about Ganymede?

Ganymede also has large, bright regions of ridges and grooves that slice across older, darker terrains. These grooved regions are a clue that the moon experienced dramatic upheavals in the distant past. In 2015, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope found the best evidence to date for an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede.

Where is Ganymede’s magnetic field located on Jupiter?

Ganymede’s magnetic field is embedded inside Jupiter’s massive magnetosphere. A 3D model of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system. Credit: NASA Visualization Technology Applications and Development (VTAD) › Download Options