Tag Archive for 'Stellar occultation'

An artist’s impression of Quaoar and its two rings. Quaoar’s moon Weywot is shown on the left. Image credit: ESA / Sci.News.

Astronomers Discover Second Ring around Quaoar

May 23, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Quaoar is a classical trans-Neptunian object with an equivalent diameter of 1,100 km. An artist’s impression of Quaoar and its two rings. Quaoar’s...

This illustration shows what Chariklo and its rings could look like, based on our current understanding. Image credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / Leah Hustak, STScI.

Webb Detects Water Ice on Chariklo, Spies Its Ring System

Jan 30, 2023 by News Staff

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have captured the reflectance spectrum of the double-ringed centaur 10199 Chariklo and observed...

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in orbit around Saturn. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Cassini Sheds New Light on Saturn’s Rings

Oct 19, 2022 by News Staff

The Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph instrument onboard NASA’s Cassini spacecraft observed 41 solar occultations by Saturn’s rings. Now, planetary...

An artist’s impression of the asteroid Polymele. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Trojan Asteroid Polymele Has Small Moon

Aug 17, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

The Jupiter trojan asteroid 15094 Polymele and its small satellite are among the targets of NASA’s Lucy mission, which will approach the asteroid system...

Pluto’s haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn’s moon Titan. The source of both hazes likely involves sunlight-initiated chemical reactions of nitrogen and methane, leading to relatively small, soot-like particles -- called tholins -- that grow as they settle toward the surface. This image was generated by software that combines information from blue, red and near-infrared images to replicate the color a human eye would perceive as closely as possible. Image credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory / Southwest Research Institute.

Pluto’s Nitrogen Atmosphere is Condensing as Dwarf Planet Moves Away from Sun

Oct 5, 2021 by News Staff

The surface pressure on the dwarf planet Pluto is decreasing and that its nitrogen atmosphere is condensing, forming ice on the dwarf planet’s surface,...

Stellar Occultation Reveals Binary Trans-Neptunian Object: 2014 WC510

Sep 30, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

A trans-Neptunian object designated 2014 WC510 is, in fact, a close binary system, according to an analysis of data obtained by the Research and Education...

An artist’s impression of Jupiter’s moon Europa occulting a distant star. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / DLR / Sci-News.com.

Astronomers Observe Stellar Occultation by Jupiter’s Moon Europa

Jul 29, 2019 by News Staff

In March 2017, Brazilian National Observatory astronomer Bruno Morgado and colleagues took advantage of the beginning of the Jupiter passage through a...