It turned out to be a dwarf planet known as Quaoar. It was originally noticed at the edge of the solar system beyond Neptune in 2002. The planet itself is half the size of Pluto and revolves around the sun.
But thanks to the use of the latest HiPERCAM camera installed on the world’s largest optical telescope, Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), scientists were able to spot its rings.
It is worth noting that Quaoar’s rings are small and weak. Aid in their detection was able to observe the shadow that appears when the planet obscures the background star.
Another interesting feature of the dwarf planet is its location – more than seven planets are located more than its radius. This is twice the distance previously considered the maximum distance for ring systems according to the “Roche limit”.
Source: Ferra
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