Ganymede (moon) has an ionosphere associated with its atmosphere is unresolved. Ganymede's discovery is credited to Galileo Galilei, who was the first to observe it on January 7, 1610. The satellite's name was soon suggested by astronomer Simon Marius, after the mythological Ganymede, cupbearer of the Greek gods, kidnapped by Zeus for the purpose. Beginning with "Pioneer 10", several spacecraft have explored Ganymede. The Voyager probes, "Voyager 1" and "Voyager 2", refined measurements of its size, while "Galileo" discovered its underground ocean and magnetic field. The next planned mission to the Jovian system is the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer
Ganymede (moon) less metallic iron and more iron oxide than H chondrites. The weight ratio of iron to silicon ranges between 1.05 and 1.27 in Ganymede, whereas the solar ratio is around 1.8. Ganymede's surface has an albedo of about 43%. Water ice seems to be ubiquitous on its surface, with a mass fraction of 50–90 %, significantly more than in Ganymede as a whole. Near-infrared spectroscopy has revealed the presence of strong water ice absorption bands at wavelengths of 1.04, 1.25, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 μm. The grooved terrain is brighter and has a more icy composition than the dark terrain.