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Explanation: Why does Jupiter have rings? Jupiter's rings were discovered in 1979 by the passing Voyager 1 spacecraft, but their origin was a mystery. Data from the Galileo spacecraft currently orbiting Jupiter later confirmed that these rings were created by meteoroid impacts on small nearby moons. As a small meteoroid strikes tiny Adrastea, for example, it will bore into the moon, vaporize, and explode dirt and dust off into a Jovian orbit. Pictured above is an eclipse of the Sun by Jupiter, as viewed from Galileo. Small dust particles high in Jupiter's atmosphere, as well as the dust particles that compose the rings, can be seen by reflected sunlight.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Jupiter - rings - dust
Publications with words: Jupiter - rings - dust
See also:
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2026 January 12 Á Meteor Dust
- APOD: 2026 January 6 Á Jupiters Clouds in High Definition from Juno
- APOD: 2025 November 11 Á Jupiter in Ultraviolet from Hubble
- A Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
- NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe
- APOD: 2025 October 29 Á Dust Shapes of the Ghost Nebula