J

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System.

IO is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of the planet Jupiter.

With over 400 active volcanoes, Io is the most geologically active object in the Solar System. This extreme geologic activity is the result of tidal heating from friction generated within Ios interior as it is pulled between Jupiter and the other Galilean satellites; Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ios surface is also dotted with more than 100 mountains that have been uplifted by extensive compression at the base of the moons silicate crust. Some of these peaks are taller than Earths Mount Everest. Most of Ios surface is characterized by extensive plains coated with sulfur and sulfur dioxide frost.

IO

Europa is the sixth closest moon of the planet Jupiter, and the smallest of its four Galilean satellites
Slightly smaller than Earths Moon, Europa is primarily made of silicate rock and probably has an iron core. It has a tenuous atmosphere composed primarily of oxygen. Its surface is composed of water ice and is one of the smoothest in the Solar System. This surface is striated by cracks and streaks, while cratering is relatively infrequent. The apparent youth and smoothness of the surface have led to the hypothesis that a water ocean exists beneath it, which could conceivably serve as an abode for extraterrestrial life. This hypothesis proposes that heat energy from tidal flexing causes the ocean to remain liquid and drives geological activity similar to plate tectonics.

EUROPA

Ganymede is a satellite of Jupiter and the largest moon in the Solar System.

Ganymede is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a magnetosphere, likely created through convection within the liquid iron core. The meager magnetosphere is buried within Jupiters much larger magnetic field and would show only as a local perturbation of the field lines. The satellite has a thin oxygen atmosphere that includes O, O2, and possibly O3 (ozone). Atomic hydrogen is a minor atmospheric constituent. Whether the satellite has an ionosphere associated with its atmosphere is unresolved.

GANYMEDE

Callisto is the third-largest moon in the Solar System

The surface of Callisto is heavily cratered and extremely old. It does not show any signatures of subsurface processes such as plate tectonics or volcanism, and is thought to have evolved predominantly under the influence of impacts. Prominent surface features include multi-ring structures, variously shaped impact craters, and chains of craters (catenae) and associated scarps, ridges and deposits. At a small scale, the surface is varied and consists of small, bright frost deposits at the tops of elevations, surrounded by a low-lying, smooth blanket of dark material.

CALLISTO