JWST occultation reveals unforeseen complexity in Chariklo's ring system
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866911324786655232 |
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| author | Santos-Sanz, Pablo Gomes-Júnior, Altair R. Morgado, Bruno E. Kilic, Yucel Kalup, Csilla E. Kiss, Csaba Pereira, Chrystian L. Holler, Bryan J. Morales, Nicolás Ortiz, José Luis Sicardy, Bruno Rizos, Juan Luis Stansberry, John French, Richard G. Hammel, Heidi B. Lin, Zhong-Yi Souami, Damya Desmars, Josselin Milam, Stefanie N. Braga-Ribas, Felipe Assafin, Marcelo Benedetti-Rossi, Gustavo Camargo, Julio I. B. Duffard, René Rommel, Flavia L. Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí Vara-Lubiano, Mónica |
| author_facet | Santos-Sanz, Pablo Gomes-Júnior, Altair R. Morgado, Bruno E. Kilic, Yucel Kalup, Csilla E. Kiss, Csaba Pereira, Chrystian L. Holler, Bryan J. Morales, Nicolás Ortiz, José Luis Sicardy, Bruno Rizos, Juan Luis Stansberry, John French, Richard G. Hammel, Heidi B. Lin, Zhong-Yi Souami, Damya Desmars, Josselin Milam, Stefanie N. Braga-Ribas, Felipe Assafin, Marcelo Benedetti-Rossi, Gustavo Camargo, Julio I. B. Duffard, René Rommel, Flavia L. Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí Vara-Lubiano, Mónica |
| contents | Ring systems have been discovered around several small bodies in the outer Solar System through stellar occultations. While such measurements provide key information about ring geometry and dynamical interactions, little is known about their origins, lifetimes, evolutionary pathways, or compositions. Here we report near-infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of a stellar occultation by (10199) Chariklo, a Centaur known to host a double-ring system. Our JWST measurements show that Chariklo's inner dense ring has become significantly more opaque than in previous observations, pointing to ongoing replenishment processes or dynamical restructuring. In contrast, the outer ring exhibits a much weaker near-infrared occultation signature than seen in earlier visible-light detections. This discrepancy may reflect material loss, suggesting that the outer ring could be transient, or may arise from wavelength-dependent opacity. These scenarios, which are not mutually exclusive, point to an unprecedented level of complexity in small-body ring systems, distinct from those observed around any other minor bodies in the Solar System. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_06366 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | JWST occultation reveals unforeseen complexity in Chariklo's ring system Santos-Sanz, Pablo Gomes-Júnior, Altair R. Morgado, Bruno E. Kilic, Yucel Kalup, Csilla E. Kiss, Csaba Pereira, Chrystian L. Holler, Bryan J. Morales, Nicolás Ortiz, José Luis Sicardy, Bruno Rizos, Juan Luis Stansberry, John French, Richard G. Hammel, Heidi B. Lin, Zhong-Yi Souami, Damya Desmars, Josselin Milam, Stefanie N. Braga-Ribas, Felipe Assafin, Marcelo Benedetti-Rossi, Gustavo Camargo, Julio I. B. Duffard, René Rommel, Flavia L. Fernández-Valenzuela, Estela Pinilla-Alonso, Noemí Vara-Lubiano, Mónica Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Ring systems have been discovered around several small bodies in the outer Solar System through stellar occultations. While such measurements provide key information about ring geometry and dynamical interactions, little is known about their origins, lifetimes, evolutionary pathways, or compositions. Here we report near-infrared observations with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) of a stellar occultation by (10199) Chariklo, a Centaur known to host a double-ring system. Our JWST measurements show that Chariklo's inner dense ring has become significantly more opaque than in previous observations, pointing to ongoing replenishment processes or dynamical restructuring. In contrast, the outer ring exhibits a much weaker near-infrared occultation signature than seen in earlier visible-light detections. This discrepancy may reflect material loss, suggesting that the outer ring could be transient, or may arise from wavelength-dependent opacity. These scenarios, which are not mutually exclusive, point to an unprecedented level of complexity in small-body ring systems, distinct from those observed around any other minor bodies in the Solar System. |
| title | JWST occultation reveals unforeseen complexity in Chariklo's ring system |
| topic | Earth and Planetary Astrophysics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.06366 |