Scientists spot unexpected change in asteroid's rings

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The James Webb Space Telescope has helped scientists spot an unexpected change in the rings around an asteroid in our solar system. Scientists first observed the rings surrounding Chariklo, an asteroid located between Saturn and Uranus, in 2013 using a method called stellar occultation. When an object passes a star, stellar occultation measures decreases in the star's light, revealing details about the object that can't be captured through photographs alone. Other stellar occultations of Chariklo have been recorded over the last decade, but James Webb finally got it's chance to capture one of Chariklo in 2022. This week, scientists announced in comparing that data to previous observations, they'd noticed Chariklo's rings had changed. The inner ring appears to have increased in opacity while the outer ring decreased in opacity. Scientists aren't sure why this is happening, but it could signal a gain or loss of material in the rings. Ring systems in space have until now been considered relatively stable, but this discovery raises new questions about how they form and evolve. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up for Here's The Deal with Lisa Desjardins: https://to.pbs.org/41q6E8i Subscribe for exclusive content in our newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorit

Published 2026-09-18 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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