Webb telescope detects changes in the rings of the small body Chariklo
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected changes in the two rings of the small Solar System body Chariklo, which orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus. As Space.com reports, the inner ring has become significantly more opaque, while the outer ring has become less opaque.
Stellar occultation observations
Chariklo is about 250 kilometers across and belongs to the centaur family. Despite its relatively small size, this object has two rings. A team of scientists led by researchers from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia IAA-CSIC began observing Chariklo with the Webb telescope in October 2022.
Astronomers used the stellar occultation method, which measures the dimming of a star's light when another object passes in front of it. Webb telescope data were compared with the results of other stellar occultation observations conducted over the past decade.
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The cause of the changes has not been determined
Team leader Pablo Santos-Sanz said the results require a reconsideration of ideas about the formation, evolution and mechanisms for maintaining the stability of rings around small bodies. The cause of the recorded changes currently remains unknown.
The observation required extremely precise data on Chariklo's orbit, the star's position as determined by the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, and the trajectory of the Webb telescope near the L2 Lagrange point. During the occultation, Chariklo moved relative to the telescope at a speed of about 2.5 kilometers per second, making it possible to distinguish the rings with unprecedented detail. Astronomers still rely on the occultation method to study Chariklo because even the Webb telescope cannot directly image this small and distant object. The study results were published in the journal Science Advances.
