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Interior of Callisto



This is a cutaway of Calisto's interior.
Click on image for full size version (113K JPEG)
Image from: NASA
When the Galileo spacecraft flew by Callisto, it made measurements which showed that Callisto was made almost entirely of the same thing. This means that Callisto never separated into layers, but is probably formed of a unusual material which is made of rock and ice combined.

At the same time, there were some measurements that suggested that there might be a thin salty-slushy layer of watery-ice right under the solid surface of Callisto that creates an electric current. This watery-ice layer is thought to be on Ganymede and Europa as well. This is a picture that shows the interiors of Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto together.

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Last modified September 19, 2003 by Jennifer Bergman.
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