The motions of satellites and asteroids - Natural probes of Jovian gravity

Before the recent Pioneer probes, our knowledge of Jupiter's gravitational field was obtained from the motions of satellites and asteroids. The study of orbital perturbations of asteroids near the 2:1 commensurability yielded a value of the mass of the Jupiter system at least as precise as that obtained by the artificial probes. Precession of the inner satellites' orbits placed constraints on the harmonic coefficients J2 and J4. A correction to the satellite determination of J4 lowers its mean value closer to the Pioneer result. The orbital grouping among the outer satellites and the resonance among the Galilean satellites are described in detail, but the origins of these phenomena are not understood. However, recent research suggests that the explanation will be intimately associated with models of the origin and evolution of the planet itself.