Rings of Jupiter

This is a list of the named rings of Jupiter.

Jupiter has a faint planetary ring system composed of smoke-like dust particles knocked off of its moons by meteor impacts. The main ring is made of dust from the satellites Adrastea and Metis. Two wide gossamer rings encircle the main ring, originating from Thebe and Amalthea. There is also an extremely tenuous and distant outer ring that circles Jupiter backwards. Its origin is uncertain, but this outer ring might be made of captured interplanetary dust.

Name Distance from Jupiter's centre (km) Width (km)
1979 J1R ('Halo Ring') 100,000 - 122,800 22,800
1979 J2R ('Main Ring') 122,800 - 129,200 6,400
1979 J3R ('Gossamer Ring') 129,200 - 214,200 85,000

See also: Rings of Jupiter, Adrastea (moon), Amalthea (moon), Dust, Jupiter (planet), Meteor, Metis (moon), Planetary ring, Thebe (moon), 1979 J1R