Ganymede Facts for Kids

A Picture of Jupiter's Moon Ganymede
  • Moon Name: Ganymede
  • Formed: Around 4.5 billion years ago
  • Discovered: January 7th 1610 by Galileo Galilei
  • Distance from Jupiter: Between 664,370 miles (perigee) and 665,861 miles (apogee)
  • Distance from the Sun: Around 484,000,000 miles
  • Time to Orbit Around Jupiter: About 7 Earth days
  • Total Surface Area: 86,999,665 square miles

14 Ganymede Facts for Kids

  1. Ganymede formed around 4.5 billion years ago.
  2. Ganymede was discovered by Galileo Galilei on January 7th, 1610.
  3. Ganymede is one of Jupiter’s seventy-nine known moons.
  4. Ganymede has a radius of about 1,636 miles.
  5. The closest Ganymede gets to Jupiter is 664,370 miles (perigee).
  6. The farthest Ganymede gets from Jupiter is 665,861 miles (apogee).
  7. It takes Ganymede about seven Earth days to orbit the planet Jupiter.
  8. Ganymede is the largest moon in our Solar System.
  9. Ganymede is ninth largest object in our Solar System.
  10. Ganymede is the largest object in our Solar System that doesn’t have a substantial atmosphere.
  11. When the surface is exposed to the sunlight the temperature can get as high as -171 degrees Fahrenheit.
  12. When the surface isn’t exposed to sunlight, the temperature can get as low as -297 degrees Fahrenheit.
  13. Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the only moon in our Solar System to have a magnetosphere.
  14. Since Ganymede has a magnetosphere, it’s most likely has a liquid, iron-nickel rich core.

Additional Resources on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede

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