spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Astronomers discover rings around small body in outer solar system
Posted: Thu, Mar 27, 2014, 6:56 AM ET (1056 GMT)
Chariklo rings illustration (ESO) Astronomers announced Wednesday the discovery of a a pair of rings orbiting a small body in the outer solar system, the first time rings have been discovered around an object other than a planet. Astronomers detected the rings during an occultation of Chariklo, a small body known as a Centaur that orbits between Saturn and Uranus. As Chariklo passed in front of a star, as seen by observers in South America in 2013, they also detected dips in starlight that, astronomers conclude, are caused by two narrow but dense rings orbiting the body. The rings, seven and three kilometers wide, and separated by nine kilometers, orbit Chariklo, a body only 250 kilomters in diameter. Astronomers hypothesize that a collision created the rings, which are held in place by small shepherding moons not detected in the occultation observations.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
US and UK militaries conduct coordinated satellite maneuvers
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:30 AM ET (1230 GMT)

Blue Origin retires a New Shepard capsule after payload flight
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:25 AM ET (1225 GMT)

Astra planning first Rocket 4 launch in mid-2026
Posted: Sun, Sep 21 8:21 AM ET (1221 GMT)

news links
Wednesday, October 15


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list