Callisto is the second largest and outermost of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter (Plate 25). Discovered by Galileo in 1610, these large moons were crucial evidence that all worlds did not circle the Earth. Prior to the Voyager encounters in 1979, understanding of Callisto was limited. Subsequently, knowledge of the basic characteristics has significantly improved, and the first understanding of the geologic history of this satellite was gained. With a radius of 2400 km, Callisto is just smaller than the planet Mercury. It orbits Jupiter at a distance of 1.88 million kilometers, completing one revolution in 16.689 d. Callisto rotates synchronously with its revolution, keeping the same face toward Jupiter.
GANYMEDE AND CALLISTO
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Schenk, P.M., McKinnon, W.B. (1997). Callisto . In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Science. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4520-4_48
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