New telescope data has revealed that a dwarf planet in the outer reaches of the solar system has a dense ring around it, leaving scientists and astronomers confused as to why.
Scientists are now wondering why the dense material in Quaoar's ring has not come together to form a small moon, because the ring itself is"at a distance of almost seven and a half times the radius of Quaoar," the ESA said.
Dense ring systems usually exist within what is known as the Roche limit of a planet, the ESA explained. The Roche limit, which exists around a planet or celestial body, is the point at which a celestial object would be broken into many pieces around it. For example, if Earth's moon entered the planet's Roche limit, it would be expected to coalesce into many pieces — perhaps into a ring.
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