This is my assembly of the six-frame mosaic of Ganymede from Galileo on the C-9 orbit. I colored it using low resolution data from a map. I am quite shocked that a public release image product was never made of this. It is images like this that Galileo's damned antenna cost us, as we are now learning from Cassini. I'd be interested to see what some of our resident wizards could do with the C9 data. There are some alignment problems in my version, as well as brightness varying from frame to frame.

Also, here is one from the E14 mosaic of Europa. I have combined my own work with the LPL mosaic for gapfill.

tedstryk,

the Europa image is just awesome, definately one of my favorite places in the solar system. Saturn has always been my favorite planet (well, 2nd favorite, Earth has a lot of pluses). Iapetus is quickly becoming a favorite too.

Eric P / MizarKey

Thanks. Iapetus is becoming a favorite of mine. I have always been partial to Mars, Triton, and the Jovian system. However, with Cassini the Saturnian system is proving more interesting than I ever imagined. I just wish that I could find a better gap fill for that one little portion that is shaded differently. Also, here is an improved, black and white version of the Ganymede mosaic.

Ted

I wonder how everyone else 'rates' the various Solar System moons? My personal top-ten list would be something like this:

10: Miranda

Possibly the best example of a moon that was violently disassembled and reassembled, resulting in highly dramatic surface geology.

9: Phoebe

This moon appears to have been captured into Saturn orbit, and is a good example of a primitive outer-solar-system icy body.

8: Enceladus

Possibly the most extreme example of groove-and-ridge ice tectonics in the Solar System, Enceladus appears to be still active.

7: Ganymede

The largest of the ice moons, Ganymede is a good example of groove-and-ridge tectonics at work on such moons, as well as larger-scale plate tectonics.

6: Iapetus

A new entry to my list, it earns this spot with the gigantic ridge that seems to have spouted out a layer of material that covered half the surface. There are plenty of other peculiar features of the surface as well, as we are just learning about now.

5: Luna

One of only three large mainly-silicate moons (with Io and Europa). Luna is important mainly because of what we can learn from it about the origins of the Earth, and for its future usefulness as a stepping-stone to deeper space. Also, its history of mare-forming flood-volcanism is interesting.

4: Triton

One of only two moons to have a real atmosphere. Triton is also quite active, as several 'eruption plumes' were caught in images by Voyager 2. The surface has been extensively reworked from the primitive state, with the 'cantalope terrain'.

3: Io

By far the most geologically active moon in the Solar System. A wide variety of volcanic processes, both sulfur-based and silicate-based.

2: Europa

Generally considered to be the most likely moon to possess life. The 'geology' of its relatively thin water-ice surface, with a deep water ocean underneath, makes for fascinating images.

1: Titan

By far the most fascinating and mysterious moon in the Solar System. Highlights include the dense atmosphere (only Triton among the other moons has a significant atmosphere, but that one is considerably thinner), the complex organic chemistry going on in the atmoshere and surface, the status of this chemistry as a 'precursor' to life, the evident complex geology of the surface, and the possibility of hydrocarbon oceans on its surface (I am not convinced by any of the evidence against such oceans; I am still holding out for their presence in some form). Not to mention the sheer mystery of it.

Bill

That Europa mosaic is absolutely stunning!! I downloaded it then just sat and stared at it for 5 mins drinking in the view...

Good work

Thanks. I just wish I could do something about that one segment. Also, here is a quarter callisto (this is taken from just one frame).

Here is a slight improvement on the Europa image.

Oh that's absolute eye candy. I particularly like "Nipple Hill"