\u201cWe don\u2019t know where the extra material is coming from, but there are some hypotheses,\u201d Santos-Sanz said.<\/p>\n
The ghost moon<\/p>\n
The leading explanation, Santos-Sanz explains, is a small shepherd satellite sharing the outer ring\u2019s orbit. Such an object should explain the rings\u2019 stability and their sharp edges and could also shed debris that replenishes C1R. \u201cThis satellite has not been detected yet, if it exists,\u201d Santos-Sanz said.<\/p>\n
A computer model based on JWST data also hints at what the two rings are made of. Santos-Sanz, though, makes it clear that this part of the work is unfinished. \u201cOur feeling after this model is that the inner ring should be composed of bigger particles than the outer ring. The outer ring we think is more dusty,\u201d he said. \u201cBut this is a work in progress. I can\u2019t say with certainty, well, this is dusty, this is not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The best test, the team argues, would be to catch another Chariklo occultation, this time using visible light, which would separate genuine change from a wavelength effect. \u201cWe are searching for new occultations,\u201d Santos-Sanz said. Understanding how rings around small bodies evolve over time, he explains, matters, because Chariklo is not the only one to have them.<\/p>\n