Rings around a tiny body have changed over the past decade
Summary
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the small object Chariklo, located between Saturn and Uranus, which has two rings. They found that over the past decade, one ring became thicker and darker while the other nearly disappeared, but they are not yet sure why these changes happened.Key Facts
- Chariklo is a small celestial body about 250 kilometers wide with two narrow rings around it.
- Rings were first discovered around Chariklo in 2013 using ground-based telescopes.
- The two rings, named C1R and C2R, orbit at about 390 and 405 kilometers from Chariklo’s center.
- Scientists spotted changes in the rings during a 2022 observation using JWST, a space telescope.
- The inner ring became denser and darker, while the outer ring almost vanished.
- JWST’s observation used infrared light, which can’t be seen from Earth due to the atmosphere.
- Observing Chariklo and its rings required precise timing and positioning because the object is very small and far away.
- The reason for the ring changes is still unknown, and scientists are exploring different explanations.
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