Galileo Project: Jupiter's Inner Satellites and Rings

Jupiter's Inner Satellites.
From the left: Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, and Thebe.

The Inner Satellites
Orbiting inside the orbit of Io, which is the innermost of the four largest moons of Jupiter (called the Galilean moons), are four smaller moons. These four moons are identified as ring moons, supplying the debris that form the ring systems.

Metis: 40 kilometers (25 miles) in diameter, orbiting 128,000 kilometers (79,500 miles) from Jupiter. This moon is embedded within the main ring. More.

Adrastea: 20 kilometers (12 miles) in diameter, orbiting 129,000 kilometers (80,000 miles) from Jupiter. This moon, the smallest of the four satellites, skims along the main ring's outer edge. More.

Amalthea: 189 kilometers (117 miles) in diameter, orbiting 181,300 kilometers (112,700 miles) from Jupiter. The largest of the four inner moons, lies at the outer periphery of the inner gossamer ring. More.

Thebe: 100 kilometers (60 miles) in diameter, orbiting 222,000 kilometers (138,000 miles) from Jupiter. Thebe is near the outer periphery of the outer gossamer ring. More.

Map of Jupiter's Rings and Inner Satellites.

The Main Ring of Jupiter

Science Findings:

Galileo Finds Jupiter's Rings Formed By Dust Blasted Off Small Moons (September 15, 1998)

Video Streaming Of Rings Science Briefing Available (September 15, 1998)

New Class Of Dust Ring Discovered Around Jupiter
(April 3, 1998)

Jupiter's ring is made up mostly of dark, dust-sized particles and consists of three bands.

Metis and Adrastea orbit inside Jupiter's main ring and are undoubtedly the source of the material in the ring.

Amalthea and Thebe provide the material for the Gossamer ring.

Read the Story of Jupiter's Rings.

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Last updated 10/01/01.