A research group from Brazil has discovered an amazing ring system around the dwarf planet Quaoar. Rings around celestial bodies are not uncommon in the solar system, for example around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. However, the new discovery is particularly surprising. Because Quaoar should not have such rings according to the current state of science.
The ring system was observed by the ESA exoplanet spacecraft Cheops and confirmed by observations from around the world. The research team reports that the ring is relatively narrow and irregularly shaped, and is outside the dwarf planet’s Roche limit. This is where the big surprise lies, because rings are usually within the Roche limit. But that ring is about 4100 kilometers from Quaoar’s surface.
This discovery forces the researchers to revise their previous assumptions about rings and the Roche limit. It was unexpected to discover a new ring system in the solar system. Also doubly unexpected to find it so far from Quaoar. The study was published in the renowned journal Nature and is now causing a sensation among astrologers.