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#quaoar

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Public
Daniel Fischer

The two #rings of (50000) #Quaoar: arxiv.org/abs/2304.09237 - besides secondary events related to already reported rings Q1R, new secondary events detected during a August 2022 #occultation in three different data sets are consistent with another ring around Quaoar with a radius of 2520±20 km, assuming the ring is circular and co-planar with Q1R; this new ring has a typical width of 10 km and a normal optical depth of ∼0.004. Like Q1R, it also lies outside Quaoar's classical Roche limit.

arXiv.orgThe two rings of (50000) QuaoarQuaoar is a classical Trans-Neptunian Object (TNO) with an area equivalent diameter of 1,100 km and an orbital semi-major axis of 43.3 astronomical units. Based on stellar occultations observed between 2018 and 2021, an inhomogeneous ring (Q1R, Quaoar's first ring) was detected around this body. Aims. A new stellar occultation by Quaoar was observed on August 9th, 2022 aiming to improve Quaoar's shape models and the physical parameters of Q1R while searching for additional material around the body. Methods. The occultation provided nine effective chords across Quaoar, pinning down its size, shape, and astrometric position. Large facilities, such as Gemini North and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT), were used to obtain high acquisition rates and signal-to-noise ratios. The light curves were also used to characterize the Q1R ring (radial profiles and orbital elements). Results. Quaoar's elliptical fit to the occultation chords yields the limb with an apparent semi-major axis of $579.5\pm4.0$ km, apparent oblateness of $0.12\pm0.01$, and area-equivalent radius of $543\pm2$ km. Quaoar's limb orientation is consistent with Q1R and Weywot orbiting in Quaoar's equatorial plane. The orbital radius of Q1R is refined to a value of $4,057\pm6$ km. The radial opacity profile of the more opaque ring profile follows a Lorentzian shape that extends over 60 km, with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of $\sim5$ km and a peak normal optical depth of 0.4. Besides the secondary events related to the already reported rings, new secondary events detected during the August 2022 occultation in three different data sets are consistent with another ring around Quaoar with a radius of $2,520\pm20$ km, assuming the ring is circular and co-planar with Q1R. This new ring has a typical width of 10 km and a normal optical depth of $\sim$0.004. Like Q1R, it also lies outside Quaoar's classical Roche limit.
Public
Daniel Pomarède

In the arXiv, cool update on (50000) Quaoar the Transneptunian: this dwarf planet, half the size of Pluto, harbors not only a moon, Weywot, but also two rare rings, located outside the Roche limit - where rings usually accrete into satellites.

arxiv.org/abs/2304.09237

📷 Illustration of the large transneptunian objects; credit Eurocommuter~commonswiki @ en.wikipedia, fr.wikipedia, pl.wikipedia

Illustration of the large transneptunian objects
#universe#astronomy#astrophysics
Public
Daniel Fischer

A dense #ring of the trans-Neptunian object #Quaoar outside its #Roche limit: nature.com/articles/s41586-022 -> esa.int/Science_Exploration/Sp and sheffield.ac.uk/news/new-ring- and ucf.edu/news/an-unexpected-rin

Sky-plane projection of all Quaoar ring detections.The occulting chords and the ring detections with their 1σ error bars are plotted for the 2 September 2018, 5 June 2019, 11 June 2020 and 27 August 2021 events. The black ellipses are the two simultaneous best-fitting solutions,, which are indistinguishable at this scale. The J2000 celestial north and east directions are shown in the upper right corner of each panel. Note that one of the chords in the 11 June 2020 occultations was obtained with CHEOPS space telescope.
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Norobiik @Norobiik@noc.social

"The planet in question is called Quaoar and it's the seventh largest of the known #DwarfPlanets of which #Pluto is the king. Discovered in 2002 and about 697 miles wide (1,121 kilometers), Quaoar is one of the so-called trans-Neptunian objects, small planets orbiting beyond the solar system's outermost planet #Neptune."

A mysterious ring surrounding mini-planet #Quaoar puzzles astronomers | #Space #RocheLimit
space.com/mysterious-ring-arou

Dwarf planet Quaoar has a ring of material that defies the rules of physics.
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