Why Doesn’t Jupiter Have Massive Rings Like Saturn?

The two largest planets of the Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn, although they look alike, also host a question that many people wonder: Why doesn’t Jupiter have flashy rings like Saturn? The answer to this question has been given by a new study published.

For those who don’t know, Jupiter actually has a ring. But this ring is usually not observable unless sunlight hits it from behind. The ring was last seen in a photograph taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. So why isn’t this ring visible like Saturn’s rings?

The answer is in Jupiter’s massive moons:

The answer to that question is hidden in Jupiter’s moons, according to new research accepted into the Planetary Science Journal. According to the research, Jupiter’s moons Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa prevent the accumulation of objects such as rocks and dust around the planet with their gravitational pull. Moreover, according to the simulations created, the planet will never have rings as large as Saturn, thanks to its moons.

Jupiter’s current faint ring consists of dust and particles splashed into space from celestial bodies hitting satellites. Saturn’s rings, on the other hand, contain pieces of dust, rock, and most importantly, ice. These fragments are thought to be caused by asteroids striking the planet or the disintegration of a large, icy moon that crashed into the planet due to Saturn’s gravity.