JWST Finds 2 Chariklo Rings Changed Oppositely Over 10 Years, Challenging Small-Body Ring Models
Updated
Updated · martincid.com · Sep 13
JWST Finds 2 Chariklo Rings Changed Oppositely Over 10 Years, Challenging Small-Body Ring Models
3 articles · Updated · martincid.com · Sep 13
Summary
A 2022 JWST stellar occultation found Chariklo’s inner ring C1R had become more opaque while outer ring C2R had weakened versus a decade of earlier measurements.
The result came from the first planned JWST occultation of a small solar system body, using NIRSpec and Gaia-guided tracking to resolve about 1 kilometer across the ring plane.
No current model predicts simultaneous opposite shifts in two narrow rings around a 125-kilometer centaur, overturning assumptions that such systems stay static on human timescales.
Three explanations remain open: real mass redistribution, wavelength-dependent differences between JWST infrared and ground-based visible data, or a mix of both.
Future multi-wavelength JWST occultations, including a candidate event in 2027, could show whether Chariklo’s rings are transient structures or only appear to change.