The collision caused Ganymede, the solar system's largest moon, to rotate such that the impact site now faces directly away from Jupiter, a significant alteration.
According to computer simulations, the enormous impact, which created an initial crater up to 1,000 miles wide, added weight to Ganymede, destabilizing its rotation.
Hirata speculated this catastrophic event might have wholly removed Ganymede's original surface and influenced the moon's interior—possibly affecting its hidden saltwater ocean.
This research gives us insight into how Ganymede's unique surface features might have originated and highlights the complexities of celestial impacts in our solar system.
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