All articles tagged with #stellar occultation
A new study using James Webb Space Telescope data indicates that the rings of the small solar system body Chariklo have changed significantly over the past decade. While the inner ring has become denser, the outer ring has nearly vanished, challenging the idea that such rings are static structures.
A new study published in Science Advances shows that the rings around Chariklo, a small icy body in the outer solar system, have changed significantly over the past decade. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) indicate that the inner ring has become more opaque while the outer ring has become less opaque, challenging previous assumptions that such small bodies have static ring systems.
A new study using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data indicates that the rings of Chariklo, a small icy body in the outer solar system, are changing significantly over a few years. While the inner ring has become more opaque, the outer ring has faded, challenging the assumption that such small bodies have stable ring systems.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have detected significant changes in the ring system of Chariklo, a small solar system body. While the inner ring has become denser, the outer ring has thinned out. This discovery challenges previous assumptions that rings around small bodies are stable and static.
Astronomers using stellar occultation detected a thin atmosphere around the 500 km-wide Kuiper Belt object 2002 XV93, a surprising find for such a small body that normally cannot retain gases. The atmosphere’s origin is uncertain—possible ice‑volcano outgassing or a recent impact—and could dissipate within about a thousand years. The study, published in Nature Astronomy on May 6, 2026, broadens ideas about where atmospheres can exist in the outer solar system.
A three-site stellar occultation of the ~250-km-radius trans-Neptunian object 2002 XV93 on 2024-01-10 revealed a refractive signature indicating a thin atmosphere with surface pressure around 100–200 nanobars, marking the first atmospheric detection beyond Pluto for a body of this size. This shows that even relatively small, distant icy worlds can host transient atmospheres, potentially sustained by cryovolcanic activity or a recent impact, and challenges standard ideas about volatile retention in the outer Solar System.
Astronomers using a 2024 stellar occultation detected a very thin, global atmosphere around the tiny icy Kuiper Belt object (612533) 2002 XV93, suggesting atmospheres can exist on small bodies and hinting at possible internal gas sources or surface outgassing; further observations are needed to verify and characterize its composition.
The Centaur object 2060 Chiron, located between Saturn and Uranus, has been found to have a transforming disk of dust around it that changes shape and can mimic rings. Observations during stellar occultations in 2011 and 2018 revealed the presence of dusty material at different distances from Chiron's center, suggesting an evolving system rather than stable rings. Another occultation in 2022 detected three symmetrical structures forming a wide disk around Chiron. The origin and composition of this material remain unknown, but it is likely to come from Chiron itself. These findings also raise questions about the nature of the structures around another Centaur, Chariklo.
The Centaur object 2060 Chiron, a captured cometary object that orbits between Jupiter and Neptune, has been found to have a transforming disk of dust around it that changes shape and can mimic rings. Observations during stellar occultations in 2011 and 2018 revealed the presence of dusty material at different distances from Chiron's center, suggesting an evolving system rather than stable rings. Another Centaur, 10199 Chariklo, was previously shown to have rings, but the findings at Chiron raise questions about the nature of the structures around Chariklo as well. The origin and composition of the material around Chiron remain unknown.
Observations during a stellar occultation of Centaur Chiron have revealed the presence of evolving material orbiting the object, rather than a stable ring system. The data collected suggests that the material surrounding Chiron is currently changing and evolving, ruling out the possibility of a two-ring system. This finding provides valuable insights into the formation and dynamics of rings around small celestial bodies.