A dense ring of the trans-Neptunian object Quaoar outside its Roche limit

B. E. Morgado (), B. Sicardy, F. Braga-Ribas, J. L. Ortiz, H. Salo, F. Vachier, J. Desmars, C. L. Pereira, P. Santos-Sanz, R. Sfair, T. Santana, M. Assafin, R. Vieira-Martins, A. R. Gomes-Júnior, G. Margoti, V. S. Dhillon, E. Fernández-Valenzuela, J. Broughton, J. Bradshaw, R. Langersek, G. Benedetti-Rossi, D. Souami, B. J. Holler, M. Kretlow, R. C. Boufleur, J. I. B. Camargo, R. Duffard, W. Beisker, N. Morales, J. Lecacheux, F. L. Rommel, D. Herald, W. Benz, E. Jehin, F. Jankowsky, T. R. Marsh, S. P. Littlefair, G. Bruno, I. Pagano, A. Brandeker, A. Collier-Cameron, H. G. Florén, N. Hara, G. Olofsson, T. G. Wilson, Z. Benkhaldoun, R. Busuttil, A. Burdanov, M. Ferrais, D. Gault, M. Gillon, W. Hanna, S. Kerr, U. Kolb, P. Nosworthy, D. Sebastian, C. Snodgrass, J. P. Teng and J. Wit
Additional contact information
B. E. Morgado: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Observatory of Valongo
B. Sicardy: University PSL, CNRS, UPMC, Sorbonne University, University of Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris City
F. Braga-Ribas: Federal University of Technology, Paraná (UTFPR/DAFIS)
J. L. Ortiz: Institute of Astrophysics at Andalucía, IAA-CSIC
H. Salo: University of Oulu
F. Vachier: PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne University, UPMC University of Paris, University of Lille
J. Desmars: PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne University, UPMC University of Paris, University of Lille
C. L. Pereira: National Observatory/MCTI
P. Santos-Sanz: Institute of Astrophysics at Andalucía, IAA-CSIC
R. Sfair: Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen
T. Santana: University PSL, CNRS, UPMC, Sorbonne University, University of Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris City
M. Assafin: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro - Observatory of Valongo
R. Vieira-Martins: National Observatory/MCTI
A. R. Gomes-Júnior: Interinstitutional e-Astronomy Laboratory (LIneA)
G. Margoti: Federal University of Technology, Paraná (UTFPR/DAFIS)
V. S. Dhillon: University of Sheffield
E. Fernández-Valenzuela: University of Central Florida
J. Broughton: Reedy Creek Observatory
J. Bradshaw: Samford Valley Observatory (Q79)
R. Langersek: Algester Astronomical Observatory
G. Benedetti-Rossi: Interinstitutional e-Astronomy Laboratory (LIneA)
D. Souami: University PSL, CNRS, UPMC, Sorbonne University, University of Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris City
B. J. Holler: Space Telescope Science Institute
M. Kretlow: Institute of Astrophysics at Andalucía, IAA-CSIC
R. C. Boufleur: National Observatory/MCTI
J. I. B. Camargo: National Observatory/MCTI
R. Duffard: Institute of Astrophysics at Andalucía, IAA-CSIC
W. Beisker: International Occultation Timing Association / European Section
N. Morales: Institute of Astrophysics at Andalucía, IAA-CSIC
J. Lecacheux: University PSL, CNRS, UPMC, Sorbonne University, University of Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris City
F. L. Rommel: National Observatory/MCTI
D. Herald: Trans-Tasman Occultation Alliance (TTOA)
W. Benz: University of Bern
E. Jehin: University of Liège
F. Jankowsky: Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory
T. R. Marsh: University of Warwick
S. P. Littlefair: University of Sheffield
G. Bruno: INAF, Catania Astrophysical Observatory
I. Pagano: INAF, Catania Astrophysical Observatory
A. Brandeker: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
A. Collier-Cameron: University of St Andrews, North Haugh
H. G. Florén: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
N. Hara: Astronomical Observatory at the University of Geneva
G. Olofsson: Stockholm University, AlbaNova University Center
T. G. Wilson: University of St Andrews, North Haugh
Z. Benkhaldoun: Cadi Ayyad University
R. Busuttil: The Open University, Walton Hall
A. Burdanov: MIT
M. Ferrais: University of Aix Marseille, CNRS, CNES
D. Gault: Trans-Tasman Occultation Alliance (TTOA)
M. Gillon: University of Liège
W. Hanna: Trans-Tasman Occultation Alliance (TTOA)
S. Kerr: Trans-Tasman Occultation Alliance (TTOA)
U. Kolb: The Open University, Walton Hall
P. Nosworthy: Trans-Tasman Occultation Alliance (TTOA)
D. Sebastian: University of Birmingham
C. Snodgrass: University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory
J. P. Teng: AGORA Observatory of Makes, AGORA
J. Wit: MIT

Nature, 2023, vol. 614, issue 7947, 239-243

Abstract: Abstract Planetary rings are observed not only around giant planets1, but also around small bodies such as the Centaur Chariklo2 and the dwarf planet Haumea3. Up to now, all known dense rings were located close enough to their parent bodies, being inside the Roche limit, where tidal forces prevent material with reasonable densities from aggregating into a satellite. Here we report observations of an inhomogeneous ring around the trans-Neptunian body (50000) Quaoar. This trans-Neptunian object has an estimated radius4 of 555 km and possesses a roughly 80-km satellite5 (Weywot) that orbits at 24 Quaoar radii6,7. The detected ring orbits at 7.4 radii from the central body, which is well outside Quaoar’s classical Roche limit, thus indicating that this limit does not always determine where ring material can survive. Our local collisional simulations show that elastic collisions, based on laboratory experiments8, can maintain a ring far away from the body. Moreover, Quaoar’s ring orbits close to the 1/3 spin–orbit resonance9 with Quaoar, a property shared by Chariklo’s2,10,11 and Haumea’s3 rings, suggesting that this resonance plays a key role in ring confinement for small bodies.

Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05629-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:614:y:2023:i:7947:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05629-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05629-6

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().