Astronomy Picture of the Day

Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

August 2, 1995

Jupiter's Rings
Credit: NASA, Voyager Project

Explanation: Astronomers using NASA's Voyager spacecraft to search for a ring system around Jupiter discovered these faint rings in 1979. Unlike Saturn's bright rings which are composed of chunks of rock and ice, Jupiter's rings appear to consist of fine particles of dust. One possibility is that the dust is produced by impacts with Jupiter's inner moons. This false colour image has been computer enhanced.

The gas giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all known to have rings. For more information about planetary ring systems see the Planetary Rings Node.

Tomorrow's picture: A Volcanic Moon

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC
&: Michigan Tech. U.