Anubis (crater)
A double-rimmed crater near Ganymede's south pole.
Anubis is a crater on Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, located near the south pole. It is a concentric crater, meaning it has at least two rims: a smaller inner rim sits entirely within a larger outer rim. The inner rim measures about 43 kilometers across, while the outer rim spans roughly 114 kilometers. At the crater’s center lies a small dome.
The crater takes its name from the Egyptian god Anubis, the jackal-headed deity associated with death, mummification, and funerals. The International Astronomical Union approved this name in 1988. The naming follows the IAU’s convention for Ganymede, where geological features are named after deities, heroes, and places from ancient Middle Eastern mythologies, including Egyptian mythology. Nearby features like Isis and Osiris also share this Egyptian theme.
Anubis sits within a grooved region called Bubastis Sulci, in the Hathor quadrangle (designated Jg15) of Ganymede, which covers the area around the moon’s south pole. Because Ganymede’s axis and orbit have a low tilt relative to the Sun, sunlight often cannot reach the deepest parts of the crater, such as its center, leaving them in prolonged darkness.
The crater’s location near the south pole makes it hard to observe with probes that only fly by along Jupiter’s equator and the ecliptic plane. Jupiter’s axial tilt is only 3.1°, and Ganymede’s axis and orbit are closely aligned with its parent planet’s equator, so spacecraft traveling along the ecliptic struggle to get clear views of Anubis. Voyager 2 was the first spacecraft to explore it, in July 1979. Its slightly southward approach toward Jupiter allowed it to see the crater and the surrounding Bubastis Sulci, but most of Anubis remained in shadow due to its polar position. As of 2025, no high-resolution images of the crater exist.
For future study, orbiter spacecraft are the most effective option because of the challenges posed by the south pole location. The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is scheduled to reach Jupiter in July 2031. After about three and a half years orbiting Jupiter and performing multiple flybys of Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede, Juice will enter a low polar orbit around Ganymede. This will allow it to periodically pass over the south pole and capture better images of Anubis.
Quick Facts
- Diameter
- 114 km
- Eponym
- Anubis
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Anubis is named after the Egyptian god Anubis, the jackal-headed god of the dead, mummification and funerals. The name was approved by the International Astronomical Union in 1988. The crater's name follows the IAU's convention of naming geological features and craters on Ganymede after deities, heroes and places from Ancient Middle Eastern mythologies, which includes Egyptian mythology. Many nearby surface features such as Isis and Osiris all share the same Egyptian mythology theme.
Geographically, Anubis is located within a grooved region called Bubastis Sulci, in the Hathor quadrangle (designated Jg15) of Ganymede, which encompasses the entire region around the moon's south pole. Oftentimes, sunlight cannot reach the deepest regions of the crater (like its center), and these areas are plunged in constant darkness for long periods of time because of the low tilt of Ganymede's axis and orbit relative to the Sun.
Exploration of Anubis has been challenging due to its polar location. Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to explore Anubis in July 1979, using a slightly southward approach towards Jupiter to view the crater and the surrounding area of Bubastis Sulci. However, Anubis's position near the south pole means most of it was always in darkness. As of 2025, there are no high-resolution images of Anubis.
Reader's Guide
Anubis is significant as a concentric crater on Ganymede, a type of impact feature that provides insight into the moon's geological history. Its double rim structure, with inner and outer rims measuring 43 and 114 kilometers respectively, and a central dome, make it a distinctive landform. The crater's location near the south pole within the Bubastis Sulci grooved region places it in a tectonically modified area, offering clues about past surface processes. The perpetual darkness in its deepest parts, due to Ganymede's low axial tilt, creates a permanently shadowed environment that may preserve ancient materials. The crater's naming after the Egyptian god Anubis, part of a broader convention using Middle Eastern mythology for Ganymedean features, ties it to a thematic naming system shared with nearby features like Isis and Osiris. Exploration has been limited: Voyager 2 provided the first views in 1979, but no high-resolution images exist as of 2025. Future study depends on orbiter missions like ESA's Juice, scheduled to arrive at Jupiter in July 2031, which will enter a low polar orbit around Ganymede, allowing periodic passes over the south pole to obtain better images of Anubis.
Did You Know?
- Anubis is a concentric crater with at least two rims, the smaller completely inside the larger.
- The crater's inner rim is about 43 km wide and its outer rim about 114 km wide.
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