A new ring system has been discovered in our solar system around the distant dwarf planet Quaoar

An international team of astronomers has discovered a new, previously unknown system of rings in the outer reaches of our solar system around Quaoar, a distant dwarf planet smaller than Pluto that was discovered in 2002 and orbits the Sun beyond from Poseidon.

Quaoar’s small and faint rings are unique in that they orbit it at a much greater distance than the rings around Saturn, something that has so far not been satisfactorily explained.

The 59 researchers from 14 countries, who made the relevant publication in the journal “Nature”, led by the Brazilian Bruno Morgado of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, made their discovery with the world’s largest optical telescope with a diameter of 10.4 meters, the Great Canary Telescope in La Palma.

Rings, which contain chunks of ice and other material, are rare in our solar system. Apart from those of Saturn (the most famous and impressive), Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, only two other minor planets have been found to have rings, Chariclos and Haumea. In all these cases the rings are relatively close to the planets, while in Quaoar they move at a distance of 4,100 kilometers from the center of the planet, seven times the radius of the latter and more than twice as expected. In Saturn e.g. its rings move up to about three planetary radii apart.

More about the planet Quaoar in the following video:

RES-EMP

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