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NIMS Ganymede Surface Map

March 26, 1998
NASA's Galileo has eyes that can see more than ours can. By looking at what we call the infrared wavelengths, types and sizes of material on the surface of Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, can be determined.

Galileo has eyes that can see more than ours can. By looking at what we call the infrared wavelengths, the NIMS (Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) instrument can determine what type and size of material is on the surface of a moon. Here, 3 images of Ganymede are shown.

Left: Voyager's camera.

Middle: NIMS, showing water ice on the surface. Dark is less water, bright is more.

Right: NIMS, showing the locations of minerals in red, and the size of ice grains in shades of blue.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov.

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