JWST occultation reveals unforeseen complexity in Chariklo's ring system
astro-ph.EP
/ Authors
Pablo Santos-Sanz, Altair R. Gomes-Júnior, Bruno E. Morgado, Yucel Kilic, Csilla E. Kalup, Csaba Kiss, Chrystian L. Pereira, Bryan J. Holler, Nicolás Morales, José Luis Ortiz
and 18 more authors
Bruno Sicardy, Juan Luis Rizos, John Stansberry, Richard G. French, Heidi B. Hammel, Zhong-Yi Lin, Damya Souami, Josselin Desmars, Stefanie N. Milam, Felipe Braga-Ribas, Marcelo Assafin, Gustavo Benedetti-Rossi, Julio I. B. Camargo, René Duffard, Flavia L. Rommel, Estela Fernández-Valenzuela, Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, Mónica Vara-Lubiano
/ Abstract
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.