Giant Asteroid Impact Reoriented Jupiter's Moon Ganymede 4 Billion Years Ago

New research reveals a colossal collision that created the largest known impact crater in the solar system and altered Ganymede's axis.

The asteroid was approximately 20 times larger than the one that caused the dinosaur extinction on Earth.
Simulations indicate the impact created a crater up to 1,600 kilometers wide.
The collision shifted Ganymede's rotational axis, reorienting its position relative to Jupiter.
The impact likely influenced the moon's thermal and structural evolution, including its subsurface ocean.
ESA's JUICE mission, arriving in 2034, aims to provide further insights into Ganymede's history and the impact's effects.