Additional observations made between early 1996 and September 2003 by the Galileo spacecraft allowed its surface to be imaged.

Metis is tidally locked to Jupiter, and its shape is strongly asymmetrical, with the largest diameter being almost twice as large as the smallest one.

During close observations of Jupiter, it may capture some distant images of the innermost moons Metis and Adrastea.

The surface of Metis is heavily cratered, dark, and appears to be reddish in color[failed verification].

The asymmetry is probably caused by the higher velocity and frequency of impacts on the leading hemisphere, which excavates a bright material (presumably ice) from its interior.

[2][3] Due to tidal locking, Metis rotates synchronously with its orbital period (about 7 hours), with its longest axis aligned towards Jupiter.