What current orbital configuration links the four Galilean moons, suggesting a gentle settling phase?
Answer
They are locked in a near-perfect Laplace resonance
The moons share a near-perfect Laplace resonance (Io orbits four times for every one orbit of Callisto), which strongly favors models involving coupled migration settling gently.
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Ch. 13: Jupiter (24 of 37) Formation of the Jupiter's Galilean Moons
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