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If one colors the travelling path of a Jovian dust streams particle with the electrostatic charge potential that the dust particle is carrying, then those tiny dust motes generate their own art forms. Spaghetti colorati!

The colored trajectory seen above is the trajectory of a 3 nanometer radius dust particle with sulfur properties launched from 6.2 Jovian radii (just outside of the Io plasma torus), released with Io's orbital speed. Here we see an edge-on view in the ecliptic plane of an orbit of a Jovian dust streams particle. [See with the plot axes.]

Here is a face-on view of the same Jovian dust streams particle. The dark blue color represents +1 Volt charge potential. The dark red color represents about +7 Volts charge potential. [See with the plot axes.]

This particle in the graphic is gradually breaking free of Jupiter's magnetic field constraints. In the beginning, the particle is gyrating along Jupiter's magnetic field lines, slowly gaining energy until, at the end, its radius of gyration is energetic enough to just barely escape.

Smaller particle?

A smaller particle acts like an ion or electron coupled to Jupiter's magnetic field, and it never escapes.

(Face-on view.)

(Edge-on view.)

Larger particle?

A larger particle immediately escapes.

(Face-on view.)

(Edge-on view.)

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Different Composition?

If we give the Jovian dust streams particle different compositional characteristics, then the dust streams particle differs in its charging. Let's see what happens when we give the particle silicate compositional characteristics. Voilà!

	Face-on view of a silicate Jovian dust streams particle. [See with the plot axes.]
	Edge-on view of a silicate Jovian dust streams particle. [See with the plot axes.]

"Everything you see I owe to spaghetti." 
       --Sophia Loren, actress

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Francis Bacon, one of the Enlightenment founders, said:

Science should be poetry, and poetry science.

My twist on his statement is:

Science should be art, and art science.

This artful demonstration is brought to you courtesy of the Jovian dust streams particles.

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Graps Home

Cosmic Dust Group Home

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Created by Amara Graps.
Last Modified by Amara Graps on November 4, 2001.