Large scars on a small body.
Galileo images reveal several impact craters comparable in size to Thebe’s radius. These enormous depressions interrupt an already uneven outline. The portrait follows that broad character, while finer terrain and ground-level views remain interpretations.
A source for a delicate ring.
Thebe lies near the outer edge of Jupiter’s faint ring system. Dust shed from the moon contributes to the gossamer ring. Its modest size does not prevent it from influencing the thin cloud of particles surrounding the planet.
A surface without a mapped interior.
Thebe’s mass is uncertain, and its irregular shape adds local variations in gravity. The displayed jump is only a nominal spherical estimate. Surface images and bulk measurements do not establish internal layers or a buried ocean.
A little over sixteen hours.
Thebe follows a prograde orbit inside Io’s path, with an adopted mean distance of about 221,900 kilometers from Jupiter’s center. Its period is 0.676105 Earth days. Synchronous rotation keeps approximately the same face toward Jupiter; the mean ellipse is not a live position.
