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This schematic cut-away view of the components of Jupiter's ring system shows the geometry of the rings in relation to Jupiter and to the small inner satellites, which are the source of the dust which forms the rings. Click on image for full size (54K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA-JPL

You can look at the picture to the left to see what Jupiter's rings look like. Can you redraw the picture at home?

This schematic cut-away view of the components of Jupiter's ring system shows the geometry of the rings in relation to Jupiter and to the small inner satellites, which are the source of the dust which forms the rings. Click on image for full size (54K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA-JPL

The ring system begins about 55,000 miles (92,000 kilometers) from Jupiter's center and extends to about 150,000 miles (250,000 kilometers) from the planet. Jupiter's rings are made up of a main ring and an inner, cloud-like ring, called the halo. Galileo also revealed that there is an outer ring system called the gossamer rings. They are almost-tranparent rings. (see picture to the left!)

When speaking about this new discovery, astronomer Joseph Burns said, "These images provide one of the most significant discoveries of the entire Galileo imaging experiment."

Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons for 2 1/2 years, and is now in the middle of a two-year extension, known as the Galileo Europa Mission.

This schematic cut-away view of the components of Jupiter's ring system shows the geometry of the rings in relation to Jupiter and to the small inner satellites, which are the source of the dust which forms the rings. Click on image for full size (54K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA-JPL

Jupiter's diameter is approximately 86,000 miles (143,000 kilometers). The ring system begins about 55,000 miles (92,000 kilometers) from Jupiter's center and extends to about 150,000 miles (250,000 kilometers) from the planet. Jupiter's rings show no evidence of being made of ice crystals (like Saturn's rings). Jupiter's rings are made up of a main ring and an inner, cloud-like ring, called the halo. Galileo also revealed that there is an outer ring system called the gossamer rings. They are almost-tranparent rings embedded one within the other.

"Rings are important dynamical laboratories to look at the processes that probably went on billions of years ago when the Solar System was forming from a flattened disk of dust and gas," Cornell astronomer Joseph Burns explained. "I expect we will see similar processes at Saturn and the other giant planets," Burns said.

"For the first time we can see the gossamer-bound dust coming off Amalthea and Thebe, and we now believe it is likely that the main ring comes from Adrastea and Metis," Burns said. "The structure of the gossamer rings was totally unexpected," Belton added. "These images provide one of the most significant discoveries of the entire Galileo imaging experiment."

Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons for 2 1/2 years, and is currently in the midst of a two-year extension, known as the Galileo Europa Mission.