Which moon is the largest satellite in the Solar System?

Ganymede is the largest satellite in the Solar System.

Ganymede orbits Jupiter and has a diameter of about 5,268 kilometres, making it larger than the planet Mercury, although it has only about 45 percent of Mercury’s mass. It is also the only moon known to possess its own intrinsic magnetic field.

The Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered Ganymede in 1610, along with Jupiter’s other three large Galilean moons: Io, Europa and Callisto. The moon is composed mainly of silicate rock and water ice and appears to have a differentiated interior with a metallic core.

Ganymede’s surface has two major terrain types: darker, heavily cratered regions and younger, lighter grooved areas. Beneath its icy crust, scientists infer a deep saltwater ocean. Ganymede is sometimes confused with Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, which has a dense atmosphere and lakes of liquid hydrocarbons.