What is the overwhelmingly favored scientific model explaining the origin of the Galilean moons?
Answer
The Circumjovian Disk (CJD) model
The CJD model suggests that Jupiter was surrounded by a disk of gas and dust shortly after its formation, from which the moons accreted, mirroring the formation of the solar system itself.
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Who first made clear observations of Jupiter's four largest satellites in early 1610?What is the overwhelmingly favored scientific model explaining the origin of the Galilean moons?How does the size of Ganymede compare to other celestial bodies mentioned in the text?What precise orbital relationship links the inner three Galilean moons?What primarily dictates the compositional difference between Io and the other three major moons?What process allowed the moons to grow within the circumjovian disk?What statistical issue argues strongly against the capture theory for the four largest moons?What is the implication of Io's composition being primarily rock and sulfur?What phenomenon is Io's extreme volcanism directly attributed to as a consequence of its orbital configuration?What observation suggests the Galilean moons formed in situ (at their current general locations) within the disk?