Definition
A facula is a bright area on the icy satellites of Jupiter, Ganymede, Callisto, and Amalthea, and on Saturn’s satellite Titan. Faculae on Ganymede and Callisto are circular or elliptical and up to several hundred kilometers in diameter. Faculae are thought to have been created by impacts into the icy crusts of these two Jovian satellites, possibly with plastic or liquid material present in the subsurface. Titan shows two globally abundant surface units characterized by either bright or dark albedo. Faculae on this satellite are irregularly shaped, represent slivers or islands of bright terrain, are located within extensive areas of dark terrain, and are possibly of non-impact origin.
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Wagner, R. (2011). Facula, Faculae. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_569
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_569
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