Recent observations of Jupiter's ring system

Details Recent observations of Jupiter's ring system Recent observations of Jupiter's ring system

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja.....4736s&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #4736

Computer Science

Scientific paper

Jupiter's faint, dusty ring system has several distinct components: a thin main ring, an inner, vertically extended halo, and an outer, fainter pair of "gossamer" rings. This ring system illustrates the complex dynamics of dust after it is ejected from the local moons (Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea and Thebe) and/or embedded parent bodies, and then evolves orbitally under solar and electromagnetic perturbations. The ring system has been observed by four spacecraft (Voyagers 1 and 2, Galileo and Cassini), as well as from the Earth by ground-based observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). While each individual data set has very limited coverage and content, a complete description of the system is now emerging. This paper will provide a systematic overview of the ring system, based on the latest available data and dynamical models. In particular, the period December 2002 through February 2003 is providing a rare opportunity to watch Jupiter sweep through its full range of Earth-based phase angles while remaining nearly edge-on to the Earth. We will discuss the initial results of an observing program using HST in the visual and the Keck Telescope in the infrared. As the rings pass through opposition, the parent bodies surge in brightness while the dust grains do not; this should provide a new means to distinguish the two populations, better revealing their numbers and locations. Variations in halo thickness with wavelength will provide new information about the sizes and dynamics of the dust grains scattered by Jupiter's strong, inner magnetic field. We will also seek out structures near the outer edge of Amalthea's gossamer ring, hinted at in previous data, which illustrate the dynamics of these dust grains immediately after their initial ejection into the ring.

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