Discovery of Mass Anomalies on Ganymede

We present the discovery of mass anomalies on Ganymede, Jupiter's third and largest Galilean satellite. This discovery is surprising for such a large icy satellite. We used the radio Doppler data generated with the Galileo spacecraft during its second encounter with Ganymede on 6 September 1996...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2004-08, Vol.305 (5686), p.989-991
Main Authors: Anderson, John D., Schubert, Gerald, Jacobson, Robert A., Lau, Eunice L., Moore, William B., Palguta, Jennifer L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artificial satellites
Astronomy
Astrophysics
Average linear density
Coefficients
Congenital Impairments
Discovery and exploration
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Galilean satellites
Ganymede (Satellite)
Gravitational anomalies
Gravitational fields
Gravity
Jupiter
Least Squares Statistics
Mass
Mass, size
gravitational fields
rotation
orbits
Moons
Planetary, asteroid, and satellite characteristics and properties
Planets, their satellites and rings. Asteroids
Properties
Radio
Residual stress
Scientific Concepts
Solar system
Spacecraft
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Summary:We present the discovery of mass anomalies on Ganymede, Jupiter's third and largest Galilean satellite. This discovery is surprising for such a large icy satellite. We used the radio Doppler data generated with the Galileo spacecraft during its second encounter with Ganymede on 6 September 1996 to model the mass anomalies. Two surface mass anomalies, one a positive mass at high latitude and the other a negative mass at low latitude, can explain the data. There are no obvious geological features that can be identified with the anomalies.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1099050