Isis (Ganymede crater)
crater
Isis is a major crater on Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter. It is a bright pit crater that is located slightly more than two-thirds of the distance from the equator of the moon to its south pole.
Naming
Isis is named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, who became the mother goddess of Egypt and its most powerful goddess. She was the goddess of magic, healing, protection, fertility, motherhood and childbirth, serving several functions in Egyptian mythology. Isis was the wife of Osiris whom she pieced together after he was killed and dismembered by Set. Together, Isis and Osiris had a son named Horus, who famously avenged the murder of his father.
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), craters and geological features on Ganymede should be named after deities, heroes, and places from Ancient Near Eastern mythologies. Egyptian mythology falls under this category. Nearby craters such Osiris and Anubis follow the same Egyptian naming theme. The crater's name was approved by the IAU in 1979.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Isis (Ganymede crater)” is crater. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Isis, Ganymede and crater, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “crater” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25908121. Authority coordinates are -67.280, -201.200. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1979.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Isis (Ganymede crater)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Isis (Ganymede crater) primary sources, Isis (Ganymede crater) archive and Isis research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Isis (Ganymede crater)”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Isis (Ganymede crater)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.