By knowing how far the planetoid is from Earth and how long the star behind it disappears, astronomers can calculate the planetoid’s size and shape.įelipe Braga-Ribas coordinated observations of this occultation by more than a dozen telescopes scattered across South America on June 3, 2013. So Chariklo can briefly eclipse the star’s light as it passes in front. Because the planetoid is so much closer to Earth than the star, it appears far bigger (at least when viewed from Earth). That’s a chance passage of some object (here Chariklo) in front of a distant star. The rings revealed themselves during an occultation. Its rings probably result from something colliding with it, astronomers now suspect. Chariklo orbits the sun between Saturn and Uranus. That’s a span about equal to the distance separating Chicago, Ill., and Davenport, Iowa. Chariklo’s diameter is only about 250 kilometers. It’s a rock-and-ice asteroid-comet hybrid, also known as a centaur. It is the first time rings have been found around such a small object.Īstronomers have discovered a pair of thin rings encircling 10199 Chariklo. Now a much smaller planetoid - an object too small to qualify for planet status - can join them on the list of ringed objects. Rings of orbiting ice crystals encircle all giant planets in our solar system: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
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