A dwarf planet beyond Neptune has a mysterious ring that astronomers can't explain

Space.com ^ | 02/08/2023 | Tereza Pultarova

[BenLurkin]

Quaoar is one of the so-called trans-Neptunian objects, small planets orbiting beyond the solar system's outermost planet Neptune.

Quaoar is a proud owner of its own moon, the 100-mile-wide Weywot. And a recent observation campaign revealed that it also has a ring of material in its orbit.

Quaoar's ring is at a very unusual distance from its parent body. In fact, before astronomers discovered Quaoar's ring in observations from several telescopes conducted between 2018 and 2021, they had thought that it was impossible for a ring to exist at such a distance. With a radius of about 2,420 miles from Quaoar's center, the ring is too far away from the dwarf planet that its gravity should no longer be able to keep the material dispersed. Instead, it should coalesce under its own gravity and form another moon, just like Weywot. By not having done that, the ring has breached what astronomers call the Roche limit, the first known ring around a celestial body to have done so.

The ring was discovered during a series of occultations...when Quaoar passed between Earth and several more distant but much brighter stars. When an occultation occurs, the light of the background star temporarily dims. The effect is only visible to very sensitive telescopes and is frequently used to detect exoplanets orbiting stars in our Milky Way galaxy...

When astronomers analyzed the data, they realized that apart from the main dip in the background stars' brightness, they could detect two smaller drops. Since drops occurred before and after the main occultation, respectively, the researchers thought that Quaoar must be surrounded with a ring.

Now astronomers have to either rethink the Roche limit or come up with another explanation for the existence of Quaoar's ring.

[DoodleBob]

I believe in God, that Jesus died for my sins, that the right to keep and bear arms and parental rights are plenary, and that THIS is the solar system's outermost planet.

[Beowulf9]

Well, bottom line is if it’s -455 degrees fahrenheit in the medium range then it ain’t gonna be no 70 degrees anywhere else, lol!