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You are here: Home / Space / How Many Moons Does Jupiter Have and What Is the Biggest Moon That Orbits the Planet Jupiter?

How Many Moons Does Jupiter Have and What Is the Biggest Moon That Orbits the Planet Jupiter?

June 30, 2020 by Karen Hill

Jupiter has sixteen known satellites, but astronomers believe there could be more.

The discovery of the four largest, Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa, is credited to Galileo, who recorded them in 1610.

The average diameter of the Galilean moons measures 2,540 miles (4,230 km), whereas the average diameter of the other Jovian moons is a mere 40 miles (67 km).

We can’t discern much detail about the smaller moons from Earth.

A celestial object recorded in the fourth century B.C. in China may have been Jupiter’s moon Ganymede.

This calls into question whether Galileo was really the first to identify Jovian moons.

Ganymede is the largest moon that orbits Jupiter, at 5262.4 km in diameter.

Related Facts

  • Who Discovered that other planets in the Solar System besides Earth have Moons and When?
  • How Does the Moon Always Keep the Same Face Toward Earth?
  • What Causes the Phases Of the Moon and What Are the Different Phases Of the Moon Called?
  • Who Discovered Jupiter’s Largest Moon Ganymede, What Is Ganymede Made of, and How Did It Get Its Name?
  • Do All the Moons That Orbit Jupiter Revolve around the Planet Jupiter Together?
  • How Far Away From Jupiter Do the Moons Orbit and How Many Different Groups Of Moons Orbit Jupiter?

Filed Under: Space

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Are the Outer Planets In the Solar System and What Are the Characteristics Of the Five Outer Planets?
Next Post: How Big Is the the Great Red Spot On Jupiter and Is the Great Red Spot On the Planet Jupiter Permanent? »

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