This is an image of Callisto in black and white.
Click on image for full size
NASA
Surface of Callisto
The surface of Callisto is deeply pockmarked with craters. It looks to be perhaps the most severely cratered body in the solar system. There are also
very large craters to be found there. The severity of the cratering indicates that the surface has not been
altered by internal processes, or "
resurfaced". This implies that Callisto, alone perhaps among the Galilean satellites, has not
evolved and presents a surface preserved, pristine, from the beginning of the solar system. This fact renders Callisto very interesting to scientists because it may represent the "starting point" from which other icy bodies subsequently evoluted.
Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store!
Our
online store includes a wide range of Nature's Own
fossil specimens, as well as a
mineral and fossil collection perfect for the classroom.
You might also be interested in:
Many examples of the differing types of terrain are shown in this image. In the foreground is a huge impact crater, which extends for almost an entire hemisphere on the surface. This crater may be compared
...moreMost of the moons and planets formed by accretion of rocky material and volatiles out of the primitive solar nebula and soon thereafter they differentiated. Measurements by the Galileo spacecraft have
...more
Callisto was first discovered by Galileo in 1610, making it one of the Galilean Satellites. Of the 60 moons it is the 8th closest to Jupiter, with a standoff distance of 1,070,000 km. It is the 2nd largest
...moreThe surface of Ganymede is halfway between that of Callisto and that of Europa. Portions of the crust are of ancient age, while other portions are relatively new. The little white dots shown in this image
...more
Amalthea was discovered by E Barnard in 1872. Of the 17 moons it is the 3rd closest to Jupiter, with a standoff distance of 181,300 km. Amalthea is about the size of a county or small state, and is just
...more
The surface of Callisto is deeply pockmarked with craters. It looks to be perhaps the most severely cratered body in the solar system. There are also very large craters to be found there. The severity
...more
Europa was first discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, making it one of the Galilean Satellites. Europa is Jupiter's 4th largest moon, 670,900 km from Jupiter. With a diameter that is about half the distance
...more
