A schema of Jupiter's ring system showing the four main components

The rings of Jupiter are a system of planetary rings around the planet Jupiter. The Jovian ring system was the third ring system to be discovered in the Solar System, after those of Saturn and Uranus. It was first observed in 1979 by the Voyager 1 space probe^[1] and thoroughly investigated in the 1990s by the Galileo orbiter.^[2] It has also been observed by the Hubble Space Telescope and from Earth for the past 25 years.^[3] Ground-based observations of the rings require the largest available telescopes.^[4] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 191 KB) Rings of Jupiter. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2560x1920, 191 KB) Rings of Jupiter. ... A planetary ring is a ring of dust and other small particles orbiting around a planet in a flat disc-shaped region. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... This article is about the Solar System. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 120 kPa Hydrogen 83% Helium 15% Methane 1. ... For the album by The Verve, see Voyager 1 (album). ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ...

The Jovian ring system is faint and consists mainly of dust.^[1][5] It comprises four main components: a thick inner torus of particles known as the "halo ring"; a relatively bright, exceptionally thin "main ring"; and two wide, thick and faint outer "gossamer rings", named for the moons of whose material they are composed: Amalthea and Thebe.^[6] Look up dust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In geometry, a torus (pl. ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Thebe (thee-bee, IPA ; Greek Θήβη) is the fourth of Jupiters known moons by distance from the planet. ...

The main and halo rings consist of dust ejected from the moons Metis, Adrastea and other unobserved parent bodies as the result of high-velocity impacts.^[2] High-resolution images obtained in February and March 2007 by the New Horizons spacecraft revealed a rich fine structure in the main ring.^[7] Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... New Horizons on the launchpad New Horizons is a robotic spacecraft mission conducted by NASA. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to fly by and study the dwarf planet Pluto and its moons, Charon, Nix and Hydra. ...

In visible and near-infrared light, the rings have a reddish color, except the halo ring, which is neutral or blue.^[3] The size of the dust in the rings varies, but the cross-sectional area is greatest for nonspherical particles of radius ~15 μm in all rings except the halo.^[8] The halo ring is probably dominated by submicron dust. The total mass of the ring system (including unobserved parent bodies) is about 10¹⁶ kg, which is comparable with the mass of Adrastea.^[9] The age of the ring system is not known, but it may have existed since the formation of Jupiter.^[9] For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ... A micrometre (American spelling: micrometer, symbol µm) is an SI unit of length equal to one millionth of a metre, or about a tenth of the diameter of a droplet of mist or fog. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ...

Structure

The principal attributes of the four known Jovian Rings are listed in the table.^[5][2][6][8]

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Thebe (thee-bee, IPA ; Greek Θήβη) is the fourth of Jupiters known moons by distance from the planet. ...

Main ring

Appearance and structure

The mosaic of images of the Jovian rings with a scheme showing their locations (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The narrow and relatively thin main ring is the brightest part of Jupiter's ring system. Its outer edge is located at a radius of 1.806 R_J (~129,000 km; R_J = equatorial radius of Jupiter or 71,398 km) and coincides with the orbit of Jupiter's smallest inner satellite, Adrastea.^[5][2] Its inner edge is not marked by any satellite and is located at ~122,500 km (1.72 R_J).^[2] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 791 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2016 × 1529 pixels, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 791 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2016 × 1529 pixels, file size: 173 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ...

Thus the width of the main ring is ~6,500 km. The appearance of the main ring depends on the viewing geometry.^[9] In forward-scattered light (light scattered at a small angle relative to solar light) the brightness of the main ring begins to decrease steeply at 128,600 km (just inward of Adrastea's orbit) and reaches the background level at 129,300 km (just outward of Adrastean orbit).^[2] Therefore Adrastea at 129,000 km clearly shepherds the ring.^[5][2] The brightness continues to increase in the direction of Jupiter and has a maximum near the ring’s center at 126,000 km, although there is a pronounced gap (notch) near the orbit of Metis at 128,000 km.^[2] The inner boundary of the main ring, in contrast, appears to fade off slowly from 124,000 to 120,000 km, merging into the halo ring.^[5][2] In forward-scattered light all Jovian rings are especially bright. Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ...

The upper image shows the main ring in back-scattered light as seen by the New Horizons spacecraft. The fine structure of its outer part is visible. The lower image shows the main ring in forward-scattered light demonstrating its lack of any structure except the Metis notch. (Courtesy NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

In back-scattered light (the light scattered at an angle close to 180° relative to solar light) the situation is different. The outer boundary of the main ring, located at 129,100 km, or slightly beyond the orbit of Adrastea, is actually very steep.^[9] The orbit of the moon is marked by a gap in the ring so there is a thin ringlet just outside its orbit. There is another ringlet just inside Adrastean orbit followed by a gap of unknown origin located at ~128,500 km.^[9] The third ringlet is found inward of the central gap outside the Metisian orbit. The ring’s brightness drops sharply just outward of the orbit of Metis thus forming the Metis notch.^[9] Inward of the Metisian orbit the brightness of the ring rises much less than in forward-scattered light.^[4] So in the back-scattered geometry the main ring appears to consist of two different parts: a narrow outer part extending from 128,000 to 129,000 km, which itself includes three narrow ringlets separated by notches, and a fainter inner part from 122,500 to 128,000 km, which lacks any visible structure like in the forward-scattering geometry.^[9][10] The Metis notch serves as their boundary. The fine structure of the main ring was discovered in data from the Galileo orbiter and is clearly visible in back-scattered images obtained from New Horizons in February-March 2007.^[11][7] However observations by Hubble Space Telescope (HST),^[3] Keck^[4] and the Cassini spacecraft^[8] failed to detect it, probably due to insufficient spatial resolution. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 540 pixelsFull resolution (3000 × 2025 pixels, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 540 pixelsFull resolution (3000 × 2025 pixels, file size: 1. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... New Horizons on the launchpad New Horizons is a robotic spacecraft mission conducted by NASA. It is expected to be the first spacecraft to fly by and study the dwarf planet Pluto and its moons, Charon, Nix and Hydra. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moons. ...

Observed in back-scattered light the main ring appears to be razor thin, extending in the vertical direction no more than 30 km.^[5] In the side scatter geometry the ring thickness is 80–160 km, increasing somewhat in the direction of Jupiter.^[2][8] The ring appears to be much thicker in the forward-scattered light (~300 km).^[2] One of the discoveries of the Galileo orbiter was the bloom of the main ring – a faint, relatively thick (~600 km) cloud of material which surrounds its inner part.^[2] The bloom grows in thickness towards the inner boundary of the main ring, where it transitions into the halo.^[2] Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ...

Detailed analysis of the Galileo images revealed longitudinal variations of the main ring’s brightness unconnected with the viewing geometry. The Galileo images also showed some patchiness in the ring on the scales 500–1000 km.^[2][9] Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ...

Spectra and particle size distribution

The forward-scattering image of the main ring obtained by Galileo. The Metis notch is clearly visible (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Spectra of the main ring obtained by the HST,^[3] Keck,^[12] Galileo^[13] and Cassini^[8] have shown that particles forming it are red, i.e. their albedo is higher at longer wavelengths. The existing spectra span the range 0.5–2.5 μm.^[8] No spectral features have been found so far which can be attributed to particular chemical compounds. The spectra of the main ring are actually very similar to Adrastea^[3] and Amalthea.^[12] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 217 pixelsFull resolution (1108 × 300 pixels, file size: 12 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 217 pixelsFull resolution (1108 × 300 pixels, file size: 12 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of between extremes at either end. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moons. ... Albedo is the ratio of reflected to incident electromagnetic radiation. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ...

The properties of the main ring can be explained by the hypothesis that it contains significant amounts of dust with 0.1–10 μm particle sizes. This explains the stronger forward-scattering of light as compared to back-scattering.^[9][10] However, larger bodies are required to explain the strong back-scattering and fine structure in the bright outer part of the main ring.^[9][10] Look up dust in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Analysis of available phase and spectral data leads to a conclusion that the size distribution of small particles in the main ring obeys a power law^[8][14][15] See Also: Watt In physics, a power law relationship between two scalar quantities x and y is any such that the relationship can be written as where a (the constant of proportionality) and k (the exponent of the power law) are constants. ...

where n(r) dr is a number of particles with radii between r and r + dr and A is a normalizing parameter chosen to match the known total light flux from the ring. The parameter q is 2.0 ± 0.2 for particles with r <15 ± 0.3 μm and q = 5±1 for those with r > 15 ± 0.3 μm.^[8] The distribution of large bodies in the mm–km size range is undetermined presently.^[9] The light scattering in this model is dominated by particles with r ~15 μm.^[8][13] This article is about an authentication, authorization, and accounting protocol. ... flux in science and mathematics. ...

The power law mentioned above allows estimation of the optical depth of the main ring: for the large bodies and for the dust.^[8] This optical depth means that the total cross section of all particles inside the ring is ~5000 km² (compare it with ~1500 km² total cross section of Metis and Adrastea).^[9] The particles in the main ring are expected to have aspherical shapes.^[8] The total mass of the dust is estimated to be 10⁷−10⁹ kg.^[9] The mass of large bodies is 10¹¹&minuns;10¹⁶ kg (excluding Metis and Adrastea) depending on their maximum size (~1 km for the upper value).^[9] These masses can be compared with masses of Adrastea ~2×10¹⁵ kg,^[9] Amalthea ~2×10¹⁸ kg^[16] and Earth's Moon 7.4×10²² kg. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... This article is about Earth as a planet. ... This article is about Earths moon. ...

The presence of two populations of particles in the main ring explains why its appearance depends on the viewing geometry.^[15] The dust scatters light preferably in the forward direction and forms a relatively thick homogenous ring (excluding the Metis notch) bounded by the orbit of Adrastea.^[9] In contrast, large particles, which scatter in the back direction, are confined inside the region between the orbits of Metis and Adrastea in a number of ringlets.^[9][10]

Origin and age

Formation of Jupiter's rings

The dust is constantly being removed from the main ring by a combination of Poynting-Robertson drag and electromagnetic forces from the Jovian magnetosphere.^[17][15] Volatile compounds (i.e. ices) also evaporate quickly. The lifetime of dust particles in the ring is ~100 years,^[9][17] so the dust must be continuously replenished in the collisions between large bodies with sizes from 1 cm to 10 km and between the same large bodies and high velocity particles coming from outside the Jovian system.^[9][17] This parent body population is confined to the narrow (~1000 km) bright outer part of the main ring, which includes Metis and Adrastea and may contain additional unknown kilometer-sized objects.^[9][10] The upper limit on their size, obtained from HST^[10][3] and Cassini^[8] observations, is ~4 km.^[9] The dust produced in collisions retains approximately the same orbital elements as the parent bodies and slowly spirals in the direction of Jupiter forming the faint (in back-scattered light) innermost part of the main ring and halo ring.^[9][17] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 552 pixelsFull resolution (1210 × 835 pixels, file size: 92 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 552 pixelsFull resolution (1210 × 835 pixels, file size: 92 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... The Poynting-Robertson effect, also known as Poynting-Robertson drag, named after John Henry Poynting and Howard Percy Robertson, is a process by which solar radiation causes dust particles in a solar system to slowly spiral inward. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moons. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ...

The age of the main ring is currently unknown, but it may be the last remnant of a past population of small bodies near Jupiter.^[6] Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ...

Halo ring

Appearance and structure

The false color forward-scattering image of the halo ring obtained by Galileo (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The halo ring is the innermost and thickest Jovian ring. Its outer edge coincides with the inner boundary of the main ring approximately at the radius 122,500 km (1.72 R_J).^[5][2] From this radius the ring becomes rapidly thicker towards Jupiter. The true vertical extent of the halo is not known but the presence of its material was detected as high as 10,000 km over the ring plane.^[4][2] The inner boundary of the halo is relatively sharp and located at the radius 100,000 km (1.4 R_J),^[4] but some material is present further inward to approximately 92,000 km.^[2] Thus the width of the halo ring is about 30,000 km. Its shape resembles a thick torus without clear internal structure.^[9] In contrast to the main ring, the halo's appearance depends only slightly on the viewing geometry. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 261 pixelsFull resolution (1152 × 376 pixels, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 261 pixelsFull resolution (1152 × 376 pixels, file size: 44 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) (All user names refer to en. ...

The halo ring appears brightest in forward-scattered light, in which it was extensively imaged by Galileo.^[2] While its surface brightness is much less than that of the main ring, its vertically (perpendicular to the ring plane) integrated photon flux is comparable due to its much larger thickness. Despite a claimed vertical extent of more than 20,000 km, the halo’s brightness is strongly concentrated towards the ring plane and follows a power law (proportional to z^−0.6 to z^−1.5),^[9] where z is altitude over the ring plane. The halo’s appearance in the back-scattered light (as seen in Keck^[4] and HST^[3] observations) is basically the same, but its total photon flux is several times lower than that of the main ring and is more strongly concentrated near the ring plane.^[9] Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... flux in science and mathematics. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ...

The spectral properties of the halo ring are different from the main ring. The flux distribution in the range 0.5–2.5 μm is flatter than in the main ring;^[3] the halo is not red and may even be blue.^[12] In most modern usages of the word spectrum, there is a unifying theme of between extremes at either end. ... flux in science and mathematics. ...

Origin of the halo ring

The optical properties of the halo ring can be explained by the hypothesis that it comprises only dust with particle sizes less than 15 μm.^[9][3][14] Parts of the halo located far from the ring plane may consist of submicron dust.^[4][9][3] This dusty composition explains the much stronger forward-scattering, bluer colors and lack of visible structure in the halo. The dust probably originates in the main ring, a claim supported by the fact that the halo’s optical depth is comparable with that of the dust in the main ring.^[5][9] The large thickness of the halo can be attributed to the excitation of orbital inclinations and eccentricities of dust particles by the electromagnetic forces in the Jovian magnetosphere. The outer boundary of the halo ring coincides with location of a strong 3:2 Lorentz resonance (Lorentz resonance is a resonance between particle's orbital motion and rotation of planetary magnetosphere, when the ratio of their periods is a rational number).^[18][19][15] As Poynting-Robertson drag^[17][15] causes particles to slowly drift towards Jupiter, their orbital inclinations are excited while passing through it. The bloom of the main ring may be a beginning of the halo.^[9] The halo ring’s inner boundary is not far from the strongest 2:1 Lorentz resonance.^[18][19][15] In this resonance the excitation is probably very significant, forcing particles to plunge into the Jovian atmosphere thus defining a sharp inner boundary.^[9] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit and is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of the reference (usually planets equator or the ecliptic), stated in degrees. ... (This page refers to eccitricity in astrodynamics. ... In mathematics, a rational number is a number which can be expressed as a ratio of two integers. ... The Poynting-Robertson effect, also known as Poynting-Robertson drag, named after John Henry Poynting and Howard Percy Robertson, is a process by which solar radiation causes dust particles in a solar system to slowly spiral inward. ... Inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit and is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of the reference (usually planets equator or the ecliptic), stated in degrees. ...

Being derived from the main ring, the halo has the same age.^[9]

Gossamer rings

Amalthea gossamer ring

The forward-scattering image of the gossamer rings obtained by Galileo (Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The Amalthea gossamer ring is a very faint structure with a rectangular cross section, stretching from the orbit of Amalthea at 182,000 km (2.54 RJ) to about 129,000 km (1.80 R_J).^[2][9] Its inner boundary is not clearly defined because of the presence of the much brighter main ring and halo.^[2] The thickness of the ring is approximately 2300 km near the orbit of Amalthea and slightly decreases in the direction of Jupiter.^[4] The Amalthea gossamer ring is actually brightest near its top and bottom edges and becomes gradually brighter towards Jupiter.^[2] The outer boundary of the ring is relatively steep, especially at the top edge.^[2] There is a pronounced shelf in its radial profile just inward of the orbit of Amalthea.^[2] In forward-scattered light the ring appears to be ~30 times fainter than the main ring.^[2] In back-scattered light it has been detected only by the Keck telescope^[4] and the ACS (Advanced Camera for Surveys) on HST.^[10] Back-scattering images show additional structure in the ring: an increase of the brightness just inside the orbit of Amalthea.^[4] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ...

The detection of the Amalthea gossamer ring from the ground in addition to Galileo images has allowed the determination of the particle size distribution, which appears to follow the same power law as the dust in the main ring with q=2±0.5.^[10] The optical depth of this ring is ~10^-7 (an order of magnitude lower than the main ring) but the total mass of the dust (10⁷–10⁹ kg) is comparable.^[6][17] Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Thebe gossamer ring

The Thebe gossamer ring is the faintest Jovian ring. It appears as a very faint structure with a rectangular cross section, stretching from the orbit of Thebe at 226,000 km (3.11 R_J) to about 129,000 km (1.80 R_J).^[2][9] Its inner boundary is not clearly defined because of the presence of the much brighter main ring and halo.^[2] The thickness of the ring is approximately 8400 km near the orbit of Thebe and slightly decreases in the direction of the planet.^[4] The Thebe gossamer ring is actually brightest near its top and bottom edges and gradually becomes brighter towards Jupiter.^[2] The outer boundary of the ring is not especially steep, stretching over 15,000 km.^[2] There is a barely visible continuation of the ring beyond the orbit of Thebe, extending up to 260,000 km (3.50 R_J) and called Thebe Extension.^[2] In forward-scattered light the ring appears to be ~3 times fainter than the Amalthea gossamer ring.^[2] In back-scattered light it has been detected only by the Keck telescope.^[4] Back-scattering images show an increase in brightness just inside the orbit of Thebe.^[4] Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Thebe (thee-bee, IPA ; Greek Θήβη) is the fourth of Jupiters known moons by distance from the planet. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ...

The optical depth of the Thebe gossamer ring is ~3×10^-8 (three times lower than the Amalthea gossamer ring), but the total mass of the dust (~10^7–9 kg) is the same.^[6][17] In 2002–2003 the Galileo orbiter passed through the Thebe gossamer ring, enabling the first direct detection of its dust.^[20] These measurements revealed the particles with sizes 0.2–3 μm thus confirming the dust composition of the gossamer rings. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ...

Origins of the gossamer rings

The dust in the gossamer rings originates in essentially the same way as that in the main ring and halo.^[17] Its sources are the inner Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe respectively. High velocity impacts by projectiles coming from outside the Jovian system eject dust particles from their surfaces.^[17] These particles initially retain the same orbits as their moons but then gradually spiral inward by Poynting-Robertson drag.^[17] The thickness of the gossamer rings is determined by vertical excursions of the moons due to their nonzero orbital inclinations.^[9] This hypothesis naturally explains almost all observable properties of the rings: rectangular cross-section, decrease of thickness in the direction of Jupiter and brightening of the top and bottom edges of the rings. However some properties have so far gone unexplained, like the Thebe Extension, which may be due to unseen bodies outside Thebe's orbit, and structures visible in the back-scattered light.^[9] Apparent magnitude: 14. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Thebe (thee-bee, IPA ; Greek Θήβη) is the fourth of Jupiters known moons by distance from the planet. ... The Poynting-Robertson effect, also known as Poynting-Robertson drag, named after John Henry Poynting and Howard Percy Robertson, is a process by which solar radiation causes dust particles in a solar system to slowly spiral inward. ... Inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit and is the angular distance of the orbital plane from the plane of the reference (usually planets equator or the ecliptic), stated in degrees. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 70 kPa Hydrogen ~86% Helium ~14% Methane 0. ...

Exploration

The existence of the Jovian rings was inferred from observations of the planetary radiation belts by Pioneer 11 spacecraft in 1975.^[21] In 1979 the Voyager 1 spacecraft obtained a single overexposed image of the ring system.^[1] More extensive imaging was conducted by Voyager 2 in the same year, which allowed rough determination of the ring’s structure.^[5] The superior quality of the images obtained by the Galileo orbiter between 1994 and 2003 greatly extended the existing knowledge about the Jovian rings.^[2] Ground-based observation of the rings by the Keck^[4] telescope in 1997 and 2002 and the HST in 1999^[3] revealed the rich structure visible in back-scattered light. Images transmitted by the New Horizons spacecraft in February-March 2007^[11] allowed observation of the fine structure in the main ring for the first time. In 2000, the Cassini spacecraft en route to Saturn conducted extensive observations of the Jovian ring system.^[22] Future missions to the Jovian system will provide additional information about the rings.^[23] Van Allen belts The Van Allen radiation belt is a torus of energetic charged particles around Earth, trapped by Earths magnetic field. ... Position of Pioneer 10 and 11 Pioneer 11 was the second mission to investigate Jupiter and the outer solar system and the first to explore the planet Saturn and its main rings. ... For the album by The Verve, see Voyager 1 (album). ... Trajectory Voyager 2 is an unmanned interplanetary spacecraft, launched on August 20, 1977. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... The W. M. Keck Observatory is home to two of the largest optical/near-infrared telescopes in the world, at the 4,145 meter (13,600 ft) summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. ... The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a telescope in orbit around the Earth, named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. ... Cassini-Huygens is a joint NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission intended to study Saturn and its moons. ... Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 140 kPa Hydrogen >93% Helium >5% Methane 0. ...

See also

• Inner satellites of Jupiter
• Rings of Saturn
• Rings of Uranus
• Rings of Neptune

The inner satellites of Jupiter are four small moons that orbit close to Jupiter, merging with its planetary ring. ... The full set of rings, photographed as Saturn eclipsed the sun from the vantage of the Cassini spacecraft on September 15, 2006 (brightness has been exaggerated in this image). ... This is a list of the named planetary rings of Uranus. ... This is a list of the named rings and ring arcs of Neptune. ...

References

A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... James B. Pollack (1938 &#8211; 1994) was an American scientist. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Larry W. Esposito is a Professor at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado. ... Carolyn C. Porco is an American planetary scientist. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... John D. Anderson, Jr. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Jupiter Rings Fact Sheet
• Jupiter's Rings by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• NASA Pioneer project page
• NASA Voyager project page
• NASA Galileo project page
• NASA Cassini project space
• New Horizont project page
• Planetary Ring Node: Jupiter's Ring System

v • d • e Jupiter
Major Moons	Io · Europa · Ganymede · Callisto
Characteristics	Cloud pattern on Jupiter · Great Red Spot · Jupiter's magnetosphere · Oval BA · Rings of Jupiter
Exploration	Pioneer program · Voyager program · Galileo (spacecraft) · Juno (spacecraft) · Europa Orbiter · Exploration · Colonization
Other	Jupiter-crosser asteroid · Earthly Branches · Jupiter mass

A planetary ring is a ring of dust and other small particles orbiting around a planet in a flat disc-shaped region. ... The full set of rings, photographed as Saturn eclipsed the sun from the vantage of the Cassini spacecraft on September 15, 2006 (brightness has been exaggerated in this image). ... This is a list of the named planetary rings of Uranus. ... This is a list of the named rings and ring arcs of Neptune. ... Jupiters gas toruses generated by Io (green) and Europa (blue) A gas torus is a form of planetary ring composed of gas rather than ice and dust. ... Digital reflection of R/2003 U 1 R/2003 U 1 is the outermost known planetary ring in the Uranian system. ... For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... Jupiters 4 Galilean moons, in a composite image comparing their sizes and the size of Jupiter (Great Red Spot visible). ... Jupiters outer moons and their highly inclined orbits. ... Atmosphere Surface pressure: trace Composition: 90% sulfur dioxide Io (eye-oe, IPA: , Greek Ῑώ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 kilometers, is the fourth largest moon in the Solar System. ... Apparent magnitude: 5. ... This article is about the natural satellite of Jupiter. ... There is also an asteroid named 204 Kallisto. ... Download high resolution version (840x840, 41 KB) Original Caption Released with Image: This processed color image of Jupiter was produced in 1990 by the U.S. Geological Survey from a Voyager image captured in 1979. ... The cloud pattern on Jupiter is the visible system of coloured cloud tops in the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter, remarkable for its stability. ... A false-color image of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter from Voyager 1. ... Jupiter has a very large and powerful magnetosphere. ... Oval BA (left) Oval BA (commonly known as Red Spot Jr. ... The US Pioneer program of unmanned space missions was designed for planetary exploration. ... Voyager Project redirects here. ... Galileo is prepared for mating with the IUS booster Galileo and Inertial Upper Stage being deployed after being launched by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission Galileo was an unmanned spacecraft sent by NASA to study the planet Jupiter and its moons. ... Juno at Jupiter Juno is a NASA mission to Jupiter planned to cost roughly $700 million and scheduled to launch by June 30, 2010. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Europa (moon). ... The exploration of Jupiter has consisted of a number of automated spacecraft visiting the planet since 1973. ... Artists conception of a space habitat called the Stanford torus, by Don Davis Space colonization, also called space settlement and space humanization, is the hypothetical permanent autonomous (self-sufficient) human habitation of locations outside Earth. ... A Jupiter-crosser asteroid is an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Jupiter. ... The Earthly Branches (Chinese: ; pinyin: dìzhÄ«; or Chinese: ; pinyin: shíèrzhÄ«; literally twelve branches) provide one Chinese system for reckoning time. ... Jupiter mass is the unit of mass equal to one Jupiter (1. ... Jupiters 4 Galilean moons, in a composite image comparing their sizes and the size of Jupiter (Great Red Spot visible). ... For other uses, see Jupiter (disambiguation). ... The inner satellites of Jupiter are four small moons that orbit close to Jupiter, merging with its planetary ring. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Metis (mee-tÉ™s, IPA: , Greek Μήτις), or Jupiter XVI, is the innermost member of the Jupiters small inner moons and thus Jupiters innermost moon. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Adrastea (IPA: , ad-ra-stee-a, Greek Αδράστεια) is the second of Jupiters known moons (counting outward from the planet). ... Apparent magnitude: 14. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Thebe (thee-bee, IPA ; Greek Θήβη) is the fourth of Jupiters known moons by distance from the planet. ... Jupiters 4 Galilean moons, in a composite image comparing their sizes and the size of Jupiter (Great Red Spot visible). ... Atmosphere Surface pressure: trace Composition: 90% sulfur dioxide Io (eye-oe, IPA: , Greek Ῑώ) is the innermost of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter and, with a diameter of 3,642 kilometers, is the fourth largest moon in the Solar System. ... Apparent magnitude: 5. ... This article is about the natural satellite of Jupiter. ... There is also an asteroid named 204 Kallisto. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Themisto (thÉ™-mis-toe, IPA: ; Greek Θεμιστώ), or Jupiter XVIII, is a moon of Jupiter. ... The Himalia group is a dynamical grouping of Jupiters moons, which share similar orbits. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa For the asteroid, see 38 Leda Leda (lee-dÉ™, IPA: ; Greek Λήδα), or Jupiter XIII, is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter that was discovered by Charles T. Kowal at the Mount Palomar Observatory on September 14, 1974, right after three nights worth of photographic plates had... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Himalia (hye-mal-ee-a, also hi-mahl-ee-a, IPA , ; Greek ‘Ιμαλíα) is a moon of Jupiter. ... Lysithea (lye-sith-ee-É™ or lÉ™-sith-ee-É™, IPA: ; Greek Λυσιθέα) is a prograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Elara (ee-lur-a or ee-lair-a, IPA or , Greek Ελάρη) is a moon of Jupiter. ... S/2000 J 11 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Carpo (IPA: , kar-poe, Greek Καρπώ) (Jupiter XLVI) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 12 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... The Ananke group is made up of moons of Jupiter which share similar orbits. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Ananke (a-nang-kee, IPA ; Greek Ανάγκη) is one of Jupiters moons. ... Praxidike (IPA: , prak-sid-i-kee, Greek Πραξιδίκη) (Jupiter XXVII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Harpalyke (har-pal-É™-kee, IPA: ; Greek Ἁρπαλύκη), or Jupiter XXII, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Iocaste (eye-É™-kas-tee, IPA: ; Greek Ιοκάστη), or Jupiter XXIV, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Euanthe (IPA: , ew-an-thee) (Jupiter XXXIII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Thyone (IPA: , thye-oe-nee, Greek Θυώνη) (Jupiter XXIX) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Euporie (ew-por-ee-É™, IPA: ; Greek Ευπορία), or Jupiter XXXIV, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 3 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 18 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Thelxinoe (IPA: , thel-zin-oe-ee, Greek Θελξινόη) (Jupiter XLII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Helike (IPA: , hel-i-kee, Greek ‘Ελίκη) (Jupiter XLV) is a moon of Jupiter. ... Orthosie (IPA: , or-thoe-see-a) (Jupiter XXXV) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 16 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Hermippe (IPA: , hur-mip-ee) (Jupiter XXX) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Mneme (IPA: , nee-mee, Greek Μνήμη) (Jupiter XL) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 15 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... The Carme group is made up of moons of Jupiter which share similar orbits. ... S/2003 J 17 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 10 is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Pasithee (IPA: , pa-sith-ee-a, Greek Πασιθέη) (Jupiter XXXVIII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Chaldene (IPA: , kal-dee-nee, Greek Χαλδηνη?) (Jupiter XXI) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Arche (ar-kee, IPA: ; Greek Αρχη), or Jupiter XLIII, is a moon of Jupiter. ... Isonoe (IPA: , eye-son-oe-ee, Greek Ισονοη) (Jupiter XXVI) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Erinome (err-in-É™-mee, IPA: ; Greek Ερινομη), or Jupiter XXV, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Kale (kay-lee, IPA: ; Greek = Καλη), or Jupiter XXXVII, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Aitne (et-nee, IPA: ; Greek Άιτνη), or Jupiter XXXI, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Taygete (IPA: , tay-ij-i-tee, Greek Ταϋγέτη) (Jupiter XX) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 9 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Carme (IPA: , kar-mee, Greek Κάρμη) is one of Jupiters moons. ... S/2003 J 5 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 19 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Kalyke (IPA: , kal-i-kee, Greek Καλύκη) (Jupiter XXIII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Eukelade (ew-kel-É™-dee, IPA: ; Greek Ευκελαδη), or Jupiter XLVII, is a retrograde irregular satellite of Jupiter. ... Kallichore (kÉ™-lik-É™-ree, IPA: ; Greek Καλλιχόρη), or Jupiter XLIV, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... The Pasiphaë group is made up of moons of Jupiter which share similar orbits. ... Eurydome (ew-rid-É™-mee, IPA: ; Greek Ευριδομη), or Jupiter XXXII, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 23 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Hegemone (hÉ™-jem-É™-nee, IPA: ; Greek Ἡγεμόνη), or Jupiter XXXIX, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Pasiphaë (IPA: , pa-sif-a-ee, Greek Πασιφάη) is a moon of Jupiter. ... Sponde (spon-dee, IPA: ; Greek Σπονδή), or Jupiter XXXVI, is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Cyllene (IPA: , si-lee-nee, Greek Κυλλήνη) (Jupiter XLVIII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Megaclite (IPA: , meg-a-klye-tee, Latin MegaclÄ«tÄ“, from Greek) (Jupiter XIX) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 4 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Callirrhoe (IPA: , ka-leer-oe-ee, Greek Καλλιρρόη) (Jupiter XVII) is one of Jupiters outermost named natural satellites. ... Atmospheric pressure 0 kPa Sinope (IPA: , si-noe-pee, Greek Σινώπη) is a moon of Jupiter discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson at Lick Observatory in 1914, and is named after Sinope of Greek mythology. ... Autonoe (aw-ton-oe-ee, IPA , Greek Αυτονόη) (Jupiter XXVIII) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Aoede (IPA: , ay-ee-dee, Greek Αοιδή) (Jupiter XLI) is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... Kore () is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ... S/2003 J 2 is a natural satellite of Jupiter. ...