The moons of Jupiter
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is named after Iuppiter, the Roman god. Iuppiter was the Roman counterpart of the Greek god Zeus, who was worshiped as the god of the sky. Zeus is often depicted holding a thunderbolt and a scepter, accompanied by an eagle.
What makes the planet Jupiter special is not only its immense size but also the large number of moons that orbit it. To date, at least 80 moons have been discovered, most of which are named after the lovers or daughters of Zeus/Iuppiter.
The four largest moons of Jupiter are: Io, known for its unique volcanic activity in the solar system; Europa, which is covered entirely by ice fields; the enormous Ganymede, sometimes visible to the naked eye; and the cratered Callisto (shown from left to right on the cover). These moons were discovered by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) in 1610, and are therefore often referred to as the Galilean moons.
The mythical stories behind the moons’ namesakes are summarized below. Read the four short texts, then take a look at the vase paintings (you can zoom in using the arrows in the top right corner of the image). Drag the names of the main characters to the corresponding figures.
IO
A princess of Argos, Io was turned into a cow by Zeus to hide her from his wife, Hera. Despite this, the jealous goddess still managed to capture the animal. Io was eventually freed by Hermes of the winged heels. Hera then sent a gadfly after her, which chased Io across Asia all the way to Egypt, where Zeus restored her to her human form.
EUROPA
A Phoenician princess and the namesake of the European continent, Europa was approached by Zeus in the form of a bull. He made her sit on his back and carried her across the sea to the island of Crete. Her son was Minos, the king of Crete and the builder of the labyrinth.
CALLISTO
An Arcadian princess and a maiden companion of the goddess Artemis, Callisto was turned into a bear by Hera in revenge after Zeus tricked the beautiful girl into seduction. Later, Zeus placed Callisto and her child among the stars, where they became the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
GANYMEDE
Ganymede, the handsome son of the Trojan king, was so beautiful that even Zeus fell in love with him. The god transformed into an eagle, descended to Earth, and carried Ganymede to Olympus, where he became the gods’ cupbearer. To protect him from the wrath of Hera, Zeus later placed Ganymede among the stars, where he became the constellation Aquarius.
And where is all this leaving Iuno (aka Hera) – Iuppiter’s jealous wife?
She keeps a watchful eye on the planet and its moons and relentlessly transmits the sight to Earth.
NASA launched the Juno spacecraft in 2011 to study Jupiter’s magnetic field and atmosphere. The probe entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016 and is expected to continue orbiting the planet until 2025. On board, Juno carries three aluminum LEGO-minifigures: Jupiter, Juno, and Galileo.
Cover image: Jupiter and the Galilean moons. Source: NASA/JPL/DLR.
Jupiter: Marble statue from Smyrna, 2nd century AD (?). Paris, Musée du Louvre, MA 13 © 2009 Musée du Louvre, Daniel Lebée / Carine Deambrosis.
Sardonix cameo: Jupiter on the back of an eagle, 1st century BC – 1st century AD © New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 32.142.2 / Public Domain.
Fresco from Pompeii: Jupiter on his throne, 1st century AD. Naples, Museo Archeologico Nazionale, 9551. Source: Wikimedia.
Vase paintings
Attic black-figure amphora with Io and Hermes, 540–530 BC. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, München, 585. Source: Wikimedia.
Paestan red-figure kalyx krater with the abduction of Europa. Asteas, 380 BC. Atlanta, Michael C. Carlos Museum, 2003.007.001 / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Attic red-figure pelike: Zeus and Ganymede. Geras Painter, 480–471 BC, from Vulci. Paris, Musée du Louvre, G 224 © 2021 Musée du Louvre / Hervé Lewandowski.
Apulian red-figure chous with Callisto turning into a bear, 360 BC. Malibu, The J. Paul Gett Museum, 72.AE.128. CC0 / Getty’s Open Content Program.
Lego-minifigures: Maia Weinstock. Source: Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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