Dwarf planet surrounded by rings in outer solar system

new system rings around the dwarf planet was discovered in the far corners solar systemmuch further than usual in other ring systemscomplex theories.

He ring system is around dwarf planetcalled quaoarwhich is about half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun behind Neptune.

Unique discovery

The discovery published in the magazine ‘Nature‘, was carried out by an international team of astronomers using HiPERCAM, an extremely sensitive high-speed camera developed by scientists at the University of Sheffield and mounted on the world’s largest optical telescope Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) on La Palma, 10.4 meters in diameter.

The rings are too small and dim to be seen directly in the image. Instead, the researchers made their discovery by observing an eclipse when light from a background star was blocked. quaoar in its orbit around the sun. The event lasted less than a minute, but it was unexpectedly preceded and followed by two dips in the light, indicating ring system O quaoar.

ring systems They are relatively rare in el solar system: In addition to the well-known rings around the giant planets Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, only two other minor planets have rings: Chariklo and Haumea. All ring systems those known so far survive because they orbit close to the parent body so that tidal forces prevent the accumulation of ring material and the formation of moons.

What is he doing ring system O quaoar What’s unusual is that it’s located more than seven planetary radii away, twice what was thought to be the maximum radius according to the so-called “Roche limit,” which is the outer limit of where planets were thought to be able to survive. ring systems.

In comparison, the main rings around Saturn are within three planetary radii. Therefore, this discovery forced to reconsider the theory of the formation of rings.

quite unexpectedly

Professor Vic Dillon, co-author of the study from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield (UK), admits in a statement that “it was unexpected to discover this new ring system in our solar systemand it was doubly unexpected to find the rings so far from quaoarchallenging our previous understanding of how such rings form.”

“The use of our high-speed camera, HiPERCAM, was the key to this discovery, as the event lasted less than a minute and the rings are too small and faint to be seen in a live image,” he emphasizes.

“Everyone learns about the magnificent rings of Saturn in childhood, so we hope this new find will provide more information about how they appeared,” he says. (Europe Press)

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