Capture of interplanetary and interstellar dust by the jovian magnetosphere

Science. 1998 Apr 3;280(5360):88-91. doi: 10.1126/science.280.5360.88.

Abstract

Interplanetary and interstellar dust grains entering Jupiter's magnetosphere form a detectable diffuse faint ring of exogenic material. This ring is composed of particles in the size range of 0. 5 to 1.5 micrometers on retrograde and prograde orbits in a 4:1 ratio, with semimajor axes 3 < a < 20 jovian radii, eccentricities 0. 1 < e < 0.3, and inclinations i less, similar 20 degrees or i greater, similar 160 degrees. The size range and the orbital characteristics are consistent with in situ detections of micrometer-sized grains by the Galileo dust detector, and the measured rates match the number densities predicted from numerical trajectory integrations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cosmic Dust*
  • Jupiter*

Substances

  • Cosmic Dust