Chariklo's Rings Shift Opacity by 50% and 60% Since 2017, Webb Study Finds
Updated
Updated · spacedaily.com · Sep 15
Chariklo's Rings Shift Opacity by 50% and 60% Since 2017, Webb Study Finds
3 articles · Updated · spacedaily.com · Sep 15
Summary
A 2022 Webb occultation found Chariklo’s inner ring was about 50% more opaque than in 2017, while the outer ring was about 60% less opaque, with both ring radii essentially unchanged.
Science Advances reported the contrast after comparing Webb near-infrared data with occultations from 2013, 2014 and 2017; the outer ring was only marginally detected at 1.5 micrometres and not at 3.2 micrometres.
Wavelength effects could explain part of the change, especially if the outer ring is rich in 0.2-0.5 micrometre silicate grains that block visible light better than infrared, though real dust loss remains possible.
The outer ring’s estimated unconstrained spreading timescale is just 0.36 years, implying some confinement or replenishment, while the inner ring’s stronger opacity may reflect fresh material or collision-made smaller grains.
Chariklo, a roughly 250-kilometre Centaur whose rings were discovered in 2013, may show that small-body rings are active, evolving systems rather than static miniature versions of giant-planet rings.
Are the bizarre, rapid shifts in Chariklo's rings a true physical transformation, or merely a cosmic optical illusion captured by the James Webb Telescope?
How did a perfectly timed stellar shadow reveal that the faint rings of a distant solar system wanderer are drastically changing in just years?