Artist’s impression of the rings around Chariklo

Observations at many sites in South America, including ESO’s La Silla Observatory, have made the surprise discovery that the remote asteroid Chariklo is surrounded by two dense and narrow rings. This is the smallest object by far found to have rings and only the fifth body in the Solar System — after the much larger planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — to have this feature. The origin of these rings remains a mystery, but they may be the result of a collision that created a disc of debris.

This artist’s impression shows how the rings might look from close to the surface of Chariklo.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada/Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org)

About the Image

Id:eso1410a
Type:Artwork
Release date:26 March 2014, 19:00
Related releases:eso1410
Size:4000 x 2501 px

About the Object

Name:Chariklo
Type:Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Asteroid
Category:Solar System

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