Huge asteroid 20 TIMES larger than the one that wiped out the dinosaurs slammed into the Solar System’s biggest moon 4 billion years ago – shifting its axis entirely, study finds

When it comes to huge asteroids, the space rock that slammed into Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago might spring to mind.

But this asteroid paled in comparison to another devasting rock, which rocked our Solar System four billion years ago.

Scientists have discovered evidence that an asteroid 20 times larger than the one that ended the age of the dinosaurs slammed into Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede.

This impact was so vast that it shifted Ganymede’s axis entirely, according to researchers from Kobe University.

While several questions about the incident remain, the researchers hope to finally get some answers when the European Space Agency’s JUICE space probe visits Ganymede in 2034.

Back in the 1980s, researchers discovered large furrows that form concentric circles around one specific spot on Ganymede’s surface

With a radius of 1,635 miles, Ganymede is the largest moon in the Solar System.

Like our own moon, it is tidally locked, which means that it always shows the same side to Jupiter.

Back in the 1980s, researchers discovered large furrows that form concentric circles around one specific spot on Ganymede’s surface.

‘The Jupiter moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto all have interesting individual characteristics, but the one that caught my attention was these furrows on Ganymede,’ said Hirata Naoyuki, lead author of the study.

‘We know that this feature was created by an asteroid impact about 4 billion years ago, but we were unsure how big this impact was and what effect it had on the moon.’

The asteroid impact was so vast that it shifted Ganymede’s axis entirely, according to researchers from Kobe University (artist’s impression) 

Ganymede is currently largely unexplored, which means data from the huge moon is scarce

Ganymede is currently largely unexplored, which means data from the moon is scarce.

So instead, the researchers turned their attention to the dwarf planet, Pluto.

Previous studies using data from the New Horizons space probe have confirmed that Pluto also underwent an impact event that caused its rotational axis to shift.

And based on the location of the furrows on Ganymede – on the meridian farthest away from Jupiter – the researchers indicate that the moon was also reorientated by its asteroid collision.

When it comes to huge asteroids, the space rock that slammed into Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago might spring to mind (artist’s impression) 

In their new study, the researchers reveal that the asteroid likely had a diameter of around 186 miles, and created a huge crater between 870 and 994 miles in diameter.

‘I want to understand the origin and evolution of Ganymede and other Jupiter moons,’ Hirata added.

‘The giant impact must have had a significant impact on the early evolution of Ganymede, but the thermal and structural effects of the impact on the interior of Ganymede have not yet been investigated at all.

‘I believe that further research applying the internal evolution of ice moons could be carried out next.’