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Moons or Rings?

Stellar Occultation and Chariklo the Centaur

By Bruce C. Palmquist, Megan L. Rivard

Moons or Rings?


 

Abstract

Saturn is not the only solar system object with rings. In 2014, astronomers used stellar occultation to discover two rings around Chariklo, a minor planet called a centaur found between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus. This case study turns the discovery into a story to teach students about occultations, the importance of precision in data, and the interpretation of graphical data. The story has been oversimplified, but the general principles are accurate. The importance of the topic lies in the fact that stellar occultation data can have a resolution of a few kilometers, orders of magnitude better than any other Earth-based method of observation, and is used to learn more about sizes, moons, rings, and atmospheres of objects in our solar system. The case was written for a college-level introductory astronomy course, but could also be used in a high school astronomy course or as an introduction to the importance of occultations for participants in a citizen science project.

   

Date Posted

04/21/2022

Overview

Objectives

  • Describe and diagram how an occultation by a solar system object occurs.
  • Define the terms occultation and light curve.
  • Analyze a light curve to determine the pattern of light blocking.
  • Interpret a series of light curves to infer the possible shape of the object or objects that did the blocking.

Keywords

Occultation; minor planet; astronomy; data analysis; centaur; planetary rings; light curve; Chariklo; eclipse; transit

  

Subject Headings

Astronomy

EDUCATIONAL LEVEL

High school, Undergraduate lower division, General public and informal education

  

FORMAT

PDF

   

TOPICAL AREAS

N/A

   

LANGUAGE

English

   

TYPE/METHODS

Directed

 

 

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