Jupiter Rings: Names, Structure, Discovery, Age
Jupiter’s rings were discovered on March 4, 1979, by Voyager 1. This was the third ring system found in the Solar System. The Voyager 1 spacecraft’s 1979 fly-by revealed a thin, dusty ensemble spanning 122,000 km from the inner halo to the outer Thebe ring. Four components were identified: a bright main ring, a toroidal halo ring, and two exceptionally faint gossamer rings named for the moons Amalthea and Thebe. Dust released by the small inner satellites Metis and Adrastea—and perhaps by even smaller bodies—feeds both the main and halo rings, while Amalthea and Thebe supply the tenuous gossamer sheets. This delicate system is almost as old as Jupiter itself, having persisted since the planet’s formation.
What are the four rings of Jupiter?
The four rings of Jupiter are the halo ring, the main ring, the Amalthea gossamer ring, and the Thebe gossamer ring. The details about Jupiter’s rings are mentioned below. .
- Halo Ring: The halo ring is the innermost and vertically thickest Jovian ring. It is a faint, wide, doughnut-like torus of particles that extends from 57,177.8 mi (92,000 km) to 76,120.3 mi (122,500 km) from Jupiter’s cloud tops. It consists of a broad, faint band of particles that extends inward from the main ring. Due to the ring’s low density, it is difficult to observe.
- Main Ring: The main ring, which adjoins the halo ring and spans 122,500-129,000 km (76,125-80,165 mi), is the brightest and narrowest part of the ring system. It is bound and supplied with dust by the moons Metis and Adrastea.
- Amalthea Gossamer Ring: The Amalthea gossamer ring, named after the moon Amalthea, is a wide, thick, faint outer ring that stretches from 129,000 km (80,157 mi) to 182,000 km (113,094 mi).
- Thebe Gossamer Ring: This ring is associated with Jupiter’s moon Thebe. It is made up of very faint dust particles and occupies the same region as Thebe’s orbit.
What are Jupiter’s rings made up of?
Jupiter’s rings are composed mainly of tiny dust particles, finer than cigarette smoke. These particles are small and dark. Data from the Galileo spacecraft indicate that Jupiter’s ring system is formed by dust kicked up as interplanetary meteoroids smash into the giant planet’s small innermost moons. The gossamer rings are composed of microscopic debris from the moons Amalthea and Thebe. Jupiter’s rings likely formed when chunks of rock or ice crashed into the small moons that now reside within the rings.
Can you see Jupiter’s rings?
Jupiter’s rings are far too faint to be seen easily from Earth. Even the best Earth-based telescopes cannot see them. The rings are only visible from behind Jupiter when they are well lit by sunlight. The rings can be seen in infrared where they faintly glow, and the James Webb Space Telescope captured images at 2.12 µm and 3.23 µm in which the faint rings are visible. To naked eyes the rings are invisible. Traditional stargazing instruments are likewise inadequate.
When were Jupiter’s rings discovered?
Jupiter’s rings were discovered on March 4, 1979, by the passing Voyager 1 spacecraft. Shortly after the flyby, ground-based observations confirmed the discovery, and the system was more thoroughly investigated in the 1990s by the Galileo orbiter.
How old are Jupiter’s rings?
Jupiter’s rings are less than one million years old. Cassini mission data showed they are 10 to 100 million years old, yet the lifetime of dust particles in the ring is from 100 to 1,000 years. Because ring material must be continually replenished after it is destroyed by radiation or pushed into the planet, the visible structure is always freshly supplied.
The Galileo spacecraft confirmed that the rings were created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons. Ring particles are generated by impacts on moons and smaller bodies within the main ring by micrometeoroids, cometary debris, and possibly volcanically produced material from Io. Four inner satellites produce dust that replenishes the rings, so dust kicked up by interplanetary meteoroids forms rings even as old grains are lost.
