SAEDNEWS: A Comet-Like Body Named Chiron Is Forming New Rings That Could Reveal How These Complex Structures Work
According to the Science Desk of Saed News, for the first time, astronomers are observing the formation of a set of planetary rings in real time. Surprisingly, these rings surround Chiron, an asteroid or comet-like object orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. Each time astronomers observe Chiron, its rings appear slightly different.
Chiron is not the first small body around which rings have been detected. The asteroid Chariklo and the dwarf planets Haumea and Quaoar in the Kuiper Belt also host small ring systems. All of these rings were identified using a method called stellar occultation. In this technique, astronomers wait for the target object to pass in front of a distant star, then map how the light from the star is blocked by material orbiting the object.
Bruno Sicardy, a researcher at the Paris Observatory in France, told New Scientist: “Only about 20 bodies have been observed via stellar occultation; so seeing four of them with rings is statistically significant. There are hundreds or thousands of other objects out there, so there must be hundreds of ring systems.” He expects more of these rings to be discovered in the coming years.
Sicardy and his colleagues analyzed a stellar occultation that occurred in 2023 to more precisely determine the structure of Chiron’s rings. While previous observations suggested the presence of three rings, the new analysis revealed an additional disk of material surrounding the known rings at a greater distance from Chiron’s surface. Another previously unseen ring, located even farther out, was also discovered.
Sicardy said, “Nature is showing us a ring in the process of forming, which is incredibly lucky for us. When we look at the rings of Saturn, Uranus, or even Chariklo, they are essentially static—they remain the same over time.”
There are multiple ways planetary rings can form, but observing them in the process of formation can provide a deeper understanding of their origins. Christian Pereira, a member of the study team from the National Observatory of Brazil, added: “[These observations] can reveal the specific conditions that allow rings to form, persist, or disappear, ultimately explaining why such systems are found only in the cold, icy regions of our solar system.”
