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ORBONIX · JUPITER SYSTEM

CALLISTO

The second-largest moon of Jupiter — an ancient world covered by one of the most heavily cratered surfaces in the Solar System.
Callisto - NASA Galileo
CALLISTO · NASA / GALILEO
1,882,700 km
DISTANCE FROM JUPITER
4,821 km
DIAMETER
16.69 DAYS
ORBITAL PERIOD
16.69 DAYS
ROTATION PERIOD
1.83 g/cm³
AVERAGE DENSITY
2nd LARGEST
JUPITER'S MOONS
THE ANCIENT WORLD
Callisto is the second-largest moon of Jupiter and one of the most heavily cratered objects in the Solar System. Unlike Io, Europa and Ganymede, Callisto orbits farther away from Jupiter and experiences much less tidal heating. Its surface is extremely ancient and contains an enormous number of impact craters. One of its most spectacular structures is Valhalla, a gigantic multi-ring impact basin created by an ancient collision. Callisto is also thought to contain a deep subsurface ocean beneath its icy and rocky outer layers. Because it lies outside Jupiter's intense radiation belts compared with the inner Galilean moons, Callisto has been considered as a possible location for future human exploration.
ANCIENT SURFACE
Callisto has one of the oldest and most heavily cratered surfaces known in the Solar System.
VALHALLA
Valhalla is a gigantic multi-ring impact structure stretching thousands of kilometres across the surface.
HIDDEN OCEAN
Scientists have evidence suggesting that a salty liquid-water ocean may exist beneath Callisto's icy surface.
DID YOU KNOW?
Callisto is so heavily cratered that its surface is considered one of the oldest preserved landscapes in the Solar System.
IMAGE: NASA / JPL / GALILEO
SCIENTIFIC DATA: NASA / JPL