"Because it’s bigger, Jupiter ought to have larger, more spectacular rings than Saturn has. But new UC Riverside research shows Jupiter’s massive moons prevent that vision from lighting up the night sky.

“It’s long bothered me why Jupiter doesn’t have even more amazing rings that would put Saturn’s to shame,” said UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane, who led the research.

“If Jupiter did have them, they’d appear even brighter to us, because the planet is so much closer than Saturn.” Kane also had questions about whether Jupiter once had fantastic rings and lost them. It is possible for ring structures to be temporary."

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