Chariklo also boasts two rings, discovered in 2013 and recentlyobserved by the Webb Space Telescope.
Now, researchpublishedin The Planetary Science Journal suggests that a satellite may be confining Chariklos skimpy rings.
Chariklo exhibits two thin rings, a few kilometers in width, Sickafoose added.
Artistic conception of Centaur Chariklo and its two thin rings.Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)
To model how a satellite could maintain Chariklos rings, the team conducted N-body simulations.
In other words, they modeled the movement of millions of particles constituting the rings.
Beyond the limit, ring material would simply be pulled into the moon by gravity.
A Cassini image of shepherd moons acting on Saturn’s F ring.Image:NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
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