Callisto
Callisto
Moon of Jupiter
Callisto facts
- Orbits
- Jupiter
- Distance from Jupiter
- 1,882,700 km (26.9 Jupiter-radii)
- Orbital period
- 16.7 days
- Diameter
- 4,821 km
- Mass
- 1.08 × 10²³ kg
- Orbital inclination
- 0.19°
- Tidally locked
- Yes
- Discovered
- 1610, by Galileo Galilei
Callisto orbits Jupiter
Watch Callisto (highlighted) circle Jupiter. Press play; the moons run at their real relative speeds.
Relative sizes and spacing are compressed; orbits shown coplanar. Click a moon for its page.
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About Callisto
Callisto is the outermost Galilean moon of Jupiter and one of the most heavily cratered worlds known, its ancient surface a record of billions of years of impacts. It sits outside Jupiter's harshest radiation, which, along with a possible subsurface ocean, has made it a candidate for future crewed bases.
- Named after a nymph and companion of Artemis in Greek myth
- Discovered: 1610, by Galileo Galilei
Callisto: frequently asked questions
- What is Callisto?
- Callisto is the outermost Galilean moon of Jupiter and one of the most heavily cratered worlds known, its ancient surface a record of billions of years of impacts.
- What planet does Callisto orbit?
- Callisto orbits Jupiter at an average distance of about 1,882,700 km, completing one lap every 16.7 days.
- How big is Callisto?
- Callisto has a diameter of about 4,821 km and a mass of roughly 1.08 × 10²³ kg.
- Why is Callisto famous?
- Callisto's claim to fame: the most heavily cratered body in the Solar System, its surface essentially unchanged for billions of years.
See Callisto in motion
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Data from NASA/JPL and NSSDCA. Source.