Refined physical parameters for Chariklo’s body and rings from stellar occultations observed between 2013 and 2020

Vol. 653
10. Planets and planetary systems

Refined physical parameters for Chariklo’s body and rings from stellar occultations observed between 2013 and 2020

Chariklo was the first small body around which rings were discovered, from observations of a stellar occultation by the asteroid. Besides determining the projected shape of Chariklo, the resulting light curves revealed that additional structures occulted the stellar light and that they appeared to be a system of two rings. Morgado et al. (2021) present observations of an additional eight stellar occultations by Chariklo. These new data not only confirm that Chariklo has two rings but also determine the orientation, width, and eccentricity of each ring, as well as the 3D shape of the asteroid.