Callisto Reference Libraries

Ursa Minor (little dipper) Constellation -- Ursa Minor is a constellation in the northern sky, whose name means the "Lesser Bear" in Latin. It is one of the 88 modern constellations, and was also one of the 48 listed by Ptolemy. It is notable as the location of the north celestial pole, although this will change after some centuries due to the effects of precession. Notable features...

Ursa Major (big bear) Constellation -- Location: Northern Hemisphere; Coordinates: Right Ascension: 11h; Declination: +50; Source: Greek, Roman, and Native American mythology The constellation name, Ursa Major, means Big Bear. The "bear" association has its origins in two major civilizations which saw two very different bears in the sky. The Greeks who named this constellation (later...

Big Dipper Constellation (Ursa Major) -- Ursa Major is a constellation visible throughout the year in the northern hemisphere. Its name means "Great Bear" in Latin, and is derived from the legend of Callisto. Its seven brightest stars form a famous asterism known in the United States as the Big Dipper, because the major stars can be seen to follow the rough outline of a large ladle, or dipper....

Saturn's moon Rhea -- Rhea is the second largest moon of Saturn. It was discovered in 1672 by Giovanni Cassini. Rhea is an icy body with a density of about 1.24 gm/cm3. This low density indicates that it has a rocky core taking up less than one-third of the moon's mass with the rest composed of water-ice. Rhea's features resemble those of Dione, with dissimilar leading and trailing...

Saturn's moon Tethys -- Tethys is a moon of Saturn that was discovered by Giovanni Cassini in 1684. Tethys is an icy body similar in nature to Dione and Rhea. The density of Tethys is 1.21 g/cm3, indicating that it is composed almost entirely of water-ice. Tethys's surface is heavily cratered and contains numerous cracks caused by faults in the ice. There are two different types of...

Jupiter's Moon Callisto -- With a diameter of over 4,800 km (2,985 miles), Callisto is the third largest satellite in the solar system and is almost the size of Mercury. Callisto is the outermost of the Galilean satellites, and orbits beyonds Jupiter's main radiation belts. It has the lowest density of the Galilean satellites (1.86 grams/cubic centimeter). Its interior is probably similar...

Jupiter's Moon Ganymede -- Ganymede is the largest satellite in the solar system with a diameter of 5,268 km (3270 miles). It is larger than Mercury and Pluto, and three-quarters the size of Mars. If Ganymede orbited the Sun instead of orbiting Jupiter, it would easily be classified as a planet. If Ganymede orbited the Sun instead of Jupiter it could be classified as a planet. Like...

Jupiter's Moon Europa -- Europa is a puzzle. The sixth largest moon in our Solar System, Europa confounds and intrigues scientists. Few bodies in the Solar System have attracted as much scientific attention as this moon of Jupiter because of its possible subsurface ocean of water. The more we learn about this icy moon, the more questions we have. Because the nature of science is to ask...

Jupiter -- in astronomy, fifth planet from the sun and largest planet of the solar system. Astronomical and Physical Characteristics Jupiter's orbit lies beyond the asteroid belt at a mean distance of 483.6 million mi (778.3 million km) from the sun; its period of revolution is 11.86 years. In order from the sun it is the first of the Jovian planetsJupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and...