This photo of Callisto, outermost of Jupiter's four Galilean satellites, was taken a few minutes after midnight (PST) Feb. 25 by Voyager 1. The distance to Callisto was 8,023,000 kilometers (4.98 million miles). The hemisphere in this picture shows a fairly uniform surface dotted with brighter spots that are up to several hundred kilometers across. Scientists believe the spots may be impact craters but higher-resolution photos will be necessary before the features can be interpreted. Callisto is about the same size as the planet Mercury--about 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) in diameter. Callisto is less massive than Mercury, however, giving it a density less than twice that of water. Scientists believe Callisto, therefore, is composed of a mixture of rock and ice (up to about 50 percent by weight). Its surface is darker than those of the other Galilean satellites, but is still about twice as bright as Earth's Moon. This black-and-white photo was taken through a violet filter. Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages and controls the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science. (JPL ref. No. P-21149) ARC-1979-A79-7027
Summary
This photo of Callisto, outermost of Jupiter's four Galilean satellites, was taken a few minutes after midnight (PST) Feb. 25 by Voyager 1. The distance to Callisto was 8,023,000 kilometers (4.98 million miles). The hemisphere in this picture shows a fairly uniform surface dotted with brighter spots that are up to several hundred kilometers across. Scientists believe the spots may be impact craters but higher-resolution photos will be necessary before the features can be interpreted. Callisto is about the same size as the planet Mercury--about 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) in diameter. Callisto is less massive than Mercury, however, giving it a density less than twice that of water. Scientists believe Callisto, therefore, is composed of a mixture of rock and ice (up to about 50 percent by weight). Its surface is darker than those of the other Galilean satellites, but is still about twice as bright as Earth's Moon. This black-and-white photo was taken through a violet filter. Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages and controls the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science. (JPL ref. No. P-21149)
In 1977, Voyager 1 and 2 started their one-way journey to the end of the solar system and beyond, now traveling a million miles a day. Jimmy Carter was president when NASA launched two probes from Cape Canaveral. Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, were initially meant to explore Jupiter, Saturn, and their moons. They did that. But then they kept going at a rate of 35,000 miles per hour. Each craft bears an object that is a record, both dubbed the Golden Records. They were the product of Carl Sagan and his team who produced a record that would, if discovered by aliens, represent humanity and "communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials."
Nothing Found.