Get to know the largest and most massive satellite in our solar system with this stunning 12" desktop globe.
Astronomy magazine is proud to unveil the all-new Ganymede Globe - available exclusively through MyScienceShop.com. Developed by Trent Hare at the United States Geological Survey Astrogeology Science Center using data supplied by the Galileo, Voyager 1, and Voyager 2 spacecraft, a mosaic was created by selecting data based on overall image quality, reasonable input resolution, and availability of moderate viewing and Sun angles for topography. A final projection mosaic was then reprojected to Mercator and polar stereographic projections.
This moon, along with the three other large moons of Jupiter, was discovered by Italian scientist Galileo Galilei in 1610. He called them Midicean Stars. However, in his honor of the discovery, they are now most often called the Galilean satellites. They were the first bodies found that orbited another planet.
Ganymede is made of equal parts of rock and ice, mostly water ice. Much of that ice is near the surface, so the moon is quite reflective. It reflects 43 percent of the sunlight falling on it back into space.
This richly detailed, injection-molded 12" desktop globe shows 194 of Ganymede's most notable named surface features. Ganymede's surface features range in size from 1.8 miles (2.9 km) wide for Anat Crater to 3,148 miles (5,066 km) wide for Mysia Sulci.
Each globe is made of long-lasting durable plastic with just a single seam between hemispheres and comes with a clear acrylic display base and informational flyer.