Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

Ganymede: Torn Comet – Crater Chain

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 15, 2001 is “Ganymede: Torn Comet – Crater Chain,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Galileo Project , Brown University , JPL , NASA. The original explanation runs about 137 words.

Ganymede: Torn Comet – Crater Chain
Credit: Galileo Project , Brown University , JPL , NASA Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“This striking line of 13 closely spaced craters on Jupiter’s moon Ganymede was photographed by the Galileo spacecraft in 1997. The picture covers an area about 120 miles wide and the chain of craters cuts across a sharp boundary between dark and light terrain.”

— APOD editors, December 15, 2001

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 15, 2001
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Galileo Project , Brown University , JPL , NASA
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 137 words

All of December 2001 → · 2001 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

JupiterComets

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 15 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.