Rings of Jupiter
The Rings of Jupiter are a faint system of dust rings orbiting the planet, comprising the main ring, halo, and two gossamer rings.
Jupiter: Jupiter is the Solar System’s largest planet, a gas giant with a powerful magnetic field and an extensive system of moons. Its gravity and magnetosphere govern the ring system’s environment.
Jupiter's main ring: Jupiter's main ring is a narrow, relatively bright dust ring extending outward from the halo. It is the most prominent narrow component of the ring system.
Pioneer 10: Pioneer 10 was a NASA spacecraft that flew past Jupiter in December 1973. Its observations provided early evidence about particles near Jupiter.
Juno: Juno is a NASA spacecraft that has orbited Jupiter since 2016 to study its interior, atmosphere, and magnetic environment. Its measurements help characterize dust and radiation in Jupiter's inner system.
Micrometeoroid: A micrometeoroid is a tiny natural particle moving through space, often fast enough to produce impact ejecta. Impacts on inner moons loft the dust that supplies Jupiter’s rings.
Jupiter's halo: Jupiter's halo is a vertically extended, faint inner ring of dust surrounding the planet. It lies inside the main ring and forms a diffuse, doughnut-shaped region.
Voyager 1: Voyager 1 is a NASA spacecraft that flew past Jupiter in March 1979 and continued toward interstellar space. Its images revealed Jupiter's faint rings in 1979.
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE, is an ESA mission launched in 2023 to study Jupiter and its large icy moons. Its planned Jovian-system observations provide context for the rings and their environment.
Thebe: Thebe is a small, irregular inner moon of Jupiter that orbits beyond Amalthea. Impacts on Thebe contribute dust to the outer gossamer ring.
Jupiter's Amalthea gossamer ring: Jupiter's Amalthea gossamer ring is a diffuse dust ring associated with the moon Amalthea. It is the inner of the two broad gossamer rings.