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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
06:48
Surface Mapping of Earth-like Exoplanets using Single Point Light Curves
Published on: May 10, 2020
Discovery of Jupiter's 'gossamer' ring
M R Showalter1, J A Burns, J N Cuzzi
1Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
Nature
|August 8, 1985
Summary
Scientists discovered a new, faint ring in Jupiter
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Astronomy
- Astrophysics
Background:
- Jupiter's ring system previously known to have a bright ring and a halo.
- Voyager 2 provided key imagery of Jupiter's rings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze Voyager 2 imagery of Jupiter's rings.
- To identify any previously undiscovered ring structures.
Main Methods:
- Image enhancement techniques applied to Voyager 2 wide-angle imagery.
- Analysis of forward-scattered light data (FDS 20693.02).
Main Results:
- A previously undetected, faint ring was discovered.
- This new ring extends to a radius of 210,000 km.
- The new ring is significantly fainter than known components.
Conclusions:
- Jupiter's ring system is more complex than previously understood.
- Further analysis of existing data can reveal new discoveries.
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