How a monstrous asteroid forever changed the trajectory of Jupiter’s biggest moon Ganymede
Researchers from Kobe University have discovered that a colossal asteroid, 20 times larger than the one that killed the dinosaurs, struck Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, around 4 billion years ago. This impact, creating a transient crater up to 1,000 miles wide, permanently altered Ganymede’s surface and shifted its rotational axis. The findings, published in Scientific Reports, highlight how such massive impacts have shaped celestial bodies, offering new insights into Ganymede’s geological history and potential habitability.