Ganymede is one of the four large moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610 with one of the first telescopes. It is the largest moon in the solar system, bigger than the planet Mercury, although it is less massive. Ganymede is the only moon known to generate its own magnetic field, and evidence from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Galileo spacecraft suggests a salty ocean beneath its icy crust. Its surface mixes old dark cratered regions with younger, grooved terrain. The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft, launched in 2023, is intended to study Ganymede and become the first probe to orbit a moon other than our own.
Before and after
- from 29 September 1609 to 13 June 1611Siege of Smolensk
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Io
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Callisto
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Europa
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Ganymede
- 7 January 1610Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter
- 18 July 1610Death of Caravaggio
- 19 May 1611Birth of Innocent XI
- from 1613 to 1762House of Romanov
More in Universe & space
- 11 November 1572Tycho's Supernova
- 1576Founding of Uraniborg
- 8 October 1604SN 1604
- 25 October 1671Discovery of Iapetus
- 9 December 1743Discovery of Great Comet of 1744
- 25 December 1758Halley's Comet returns as predicted
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.