Jupiter's Ring System
Jupiter's Ring System Galileo's November 1996 Trajectory Galileo Imaging of Jupiter's Rings

Jupiter's ring system as seen peering back at Jupiter. While the Sun was hidden behind the planet, the Galileo camera obtained a sequence of images of Jupiter's faint, tenuous rings.

Formation of the Jovian Ring System
Scale Comparison of the Inner Small Satellites of Jupiter Shapes of the Small Inner Satellites of Jupiter Comparison of Amalthea to Io

Jupiter's Small Inner Satellites are irregular in shape due to a history of high velocity, highly energetic impacts from meteoroids, fragments of asteroids and comets. Since these moons are so small, their surface gravities are very low, and the particles kicked up by the impacts easily escape into orbit.

Jupiter's Inner Satellites and Ring Components The Formation of Jupiter's Ring System

Jupiter's inner satellites supply material for the rings. Fine dust is kicked into orbit when micrometeroids strike the inner satellites. The particles follow the same orbit that its parent satellite makes around Jupiter. However, as the dust particles absorb sunlight, they spiral in towards Jupiter and form an equatorial planetary ring.

Jupiter's Inner Satellites and Ring Components Development of Jupiter's Main Ring and Halo Ring Particles Pushed by Magnetic Forces

Jupiter's Ring Halo forms as particles which spiral in toward Jupiter are pushed up and down by electromagnetic forces. At certain distances from Jupiter, the vertically oscillating forces and particles' orbital periods become synchronous and the pushing effects are enhanced. These resonances mark the halo's beginning and end.

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Galileo Solid State Imaging Team Leader: Dr. Michael J. S. Belton

The SSI Education and Public Outreach webpages were originally created and managed by Matthew Fishburn and Elizabeth Alvarez with significant assistance from Kelly Bender, Ross Beyer, Detrick Branston, Stephanie Lyons, Eileen Ryan, and Nalin Samarasinha.

Last updated: September 17, 1999, by Matthew Fishburn

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