A new ring system has been discovered orbiting a dwarf planet in the outer reaches of our solar system, surprising astronomers and challenging current theories about how ring systems form. The ring system orbits the dwarf planet Quaoar, which is about half the size of Pluto and located beyond Neptune.
An international team of astronomers made the discovery using the HiPERCAM, an extremely sensitive high-speed camera mounted on the world’s largest optical telescope, the Gran Telescopio Canarias. The rings were too small and faint to be seen directly, but their presence was indicated by two dips in light during an occultation, when Quaoar blocked the light from a background star.
Unexpected Discovery Beyond the Roche Limit
Ring systems are relatively rare in our solar system, with only Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, and two minor planets, Chariklo and Haumea, possessing them. All previously known ring systems are close to the parent body, within the Roche limit, which is thought to be the outer limit of where ring systems can survive.
However, the ring system around Quaoar is remarkable because it lies at a distance of over seven planetary radii, twice as far out as previously thought possible according to the Roche limit. This has forced astronomers to rethink theories about ring formation and raised new questions about the origin and evolution of ring systems in our solar system.
Key Role of HiPERCAM
The use of the HiPERCAM was crucial to the discovery as the ring system is too small and faint to be seen in a direct image. The event lasted less than a minute, but the HiPERCAM’s high-speed capability allowed the researchers to capture the light dips indicative of a ring system.
According to Professor Vik Dhillon, co-author of the study from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, „The discovery of this new ring system in our solar system, and the finding of the rings so far out from Quaoar, is unexpected and challenges our previous notions of how such rings form. The use of our high-speed camera—HiPERCAM—was key to this discovery.”
A New Insight into Ring Formation
The study, published in Nature, involved 59 academics from all over the world, led by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is hoped that this new discovery will provide further insight into the formation and evolution of ring systems in our solar system, especially since it is so different from previously known ring systems.
Everyone is familiar with Saturn’s magnificent rings, and this new discovery may lead to a better understanding of how these and other ring systems came to be. It may also inspire new ideas and theories about the origin and evolution of ring systems in our solar system and beyond.
Conclusion
The discovery of a new ring system around a dwarf planet on the edge of our solar system has surprised astronomers and challenged current theories about how ring systems form. The ring system around Quaoar lies at a distance of over seven planetary radii, twice as far out as previously thought possible, and has raised new questions about the origin and evolution of ring systems.
The use of the HiPERCAM was crucial to the discovery and it is hoped that this new discovery will provide further insight into the formation and evolution of ring systems in our solar system.
Image: Pexels.com
Source: Phys.org