Home » Technology » Scientists Confused See Ring Clusters at the End of the Solar System

Scientists Confused See Ring Clusters at the End of the Solar System

Illustration showing the location of the ring of the dwarf planet Quaoar, compared to the Roche Limit, the max. ©Paris Observatory

Reporter: Hari Ariyanti

Merdeka.com – Astronomers discovered an entirely new ring system within the solar system, and it was so far from its parent dwarf planet that it was once thought impossible.

The ring surrounds Quaoar, which is about half the size of Pluto and lies beyond Neptune. This is only the third ring discovered around a minor planet and seventh ring system in the solar system, with the most famous and well-studied rings surrounding the giant planets Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus.




“The (previous) six planets with ring systems all had rings fairly close to the planet’s surface. So this really challenged our theory of ring formation,” study author Vik Dhillon, professor of physics and astronomy at Britain’s University of Sheffield, told Live Science.

“It was previously thought to be impossible to have rings that far apart, so in short, the Quaoar ring is a real challenge to explain theoretically,” he continued, quoted from the Live Science page, Tuesday (14/2).

The ring system lies at a distance of seven planetary radii from Quaoar (seven times the Quaoar radius), which is twice as far as the theoretical maximum limit for the ring system, known as the Roche limit. In comparison, the main part of Saturn’s rings are located just three planetary radii from Saturn.

It was previously thought that rings that crossed the Roche limit would not be able to survive very far from their parent’s body.

“With this discovery, we have a ring not only beyond the Roche limit, but well beyond it,” explains Dhillon.

The team’s findings were published February 8 in the journal Nature.

Researchers discovered this ring system while investigating whether the Quaoar has an atmosphere. The team used the high-speed HiPERCAM instrument on Gran Telescopio Canarias, a telescope in Spain’s Canary Islands that can see tiny variations in the light from the background of stars.

“This finding was a bit of a surprise,” said Dhillon.
“We knew there was a chance we would find them, but we weren’t really looking for them.”

The Quaoar rings are too small and too dim to see through direct imaging, even with instruments as powerful as the Hubble Space Telescope. Dhillon added that other than occultation events, the only way to find these dwarf planet rings is to send robots.

“This discovery shows you the extraordinary diversity of objects that exist in our own cosmic backyard,” said Dhillon.

“You don’t have to look light years into the distant universe to find the unexpected. Surprises still abound in our solar system,” he concluded.

Also read:
What Will Human Homes on the Moon and Mars Look Like? This is the Architect’s Word
Astronauts from the UAE will continue to carry out Ramadan fasting in outer space, here’s how
Jupiter shifts Saturn’s position as the planet with the most number of moons
Scientists warn that there are asteroids that are impossible to destroy if they hit Earth
Why Does the Sun Rise in the East & Set in the West? This is Science’s Answer
The shine of stars is getting dimmer and invisible to humans, this is why

2 of 2 pages

(mdk/sir)

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.