The giant Galilean moons prevented the formation of the giant ring system around Jupiter

Planetary rings are often speculated to be a relatively common property of giant planets - based in part on their prevalence in the Solar System. However, their formation and sustainability is still an open topic of discussion, and Jupiter - the largest planet in our planetary system - contains a very modest ring system.

Jupiter is large, but it contains a significantly more modest ring system.

A distinctive common feature of the giant planets in the Solar System is the presence of ring systems orbiting the planet.

Ring systems that have been discovered and studied extensively include Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

In particular, Saturn's prominent rings have been the source of much research regarding their formation and dynamics.

For comparison, Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System, but it does contain a considerably more modest ring system - it has been studied extensively through data from other moons. missions like Voyager and Galileo, as well as observations on the ground.

Theories about the origin and evolution of the rings are still controversial, such as whether they formed with the Galilean moons (Europa, Ganymede, Io and Callisto), or the closure The contribution of collision matter is lost from the inclined satellite and the ejected material from the satellite or the inner moons.

Other possible sources of belt material originate from collision debris and tidal disruptions of satellites or large objects passing through the Kuiper Belt.

Jupiter has 79 moons. Of these, 72 have confirmed orbits and 52 of them have been named. The largest moons called Galilean moons were discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. These are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, is so massive that it exceeds even Mercury.

Lead author Dr Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of California, Riverside, said: "I've been thinking a lot about why Jupiter doesn't exist. great and massive rings like Saturn".

"If Jupiter had them, they would be even brighter when viewed from our planet, because the planet is so much closer to us than Saturn."

"I also wondered if Jupiter once had these great rings and lost them?"

To understand why Jupiter has its present appearance, Dr. Kane and his colleague, University of California graduate student Zhexing Li, ran a computer simulation and calculated the orbits of the planets. Galilean moons, as well as the orbit of the planet itself and information on the timing of the formation of the rings.

The results show that Saturn's rings are largely made up of ice, some of which may come from comets, but most are also made of ice. And when the moons are large enough, their gravity can knock ice out of the planet's orbit, or change the ice's orbit enough for it to collide with the moon.

Jupiter's Galilean moons will rapidly destroy any matter that approaches the planet.

Dr Kane said: "We found that Jupiter's Galilean moons, some of which are the largest in our Solar System, would very rapidly destroy any matter that comes close. planet, before they could form a ring around Jupiter."

"As a result, Jupiter could not have had large rings at any point in its past."

"When massive planets form large moons, this will prevent them from having giant rings around them."

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass one thousandth of the Sun but two and a half times the total mass of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.

Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn (Uranus and Neptune are classified as ice giants). These two planets are sometimes called Jupiter-type planets or outer planets.

Ancient astronomers knew the planet, having associated it with myths and religious beliefs in many cultures. The Romans named the planet after the god Jupiter, the most important of the gods. The name in Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese of this planet is based on the "wood" element in the five elements.

When viewed from Earth, Jupiter has an apparent magnitude of −2.94, bright enough to cast a shadow; and is the third brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus.