First global simulation yields new insights into ring system

(National Institutes of Natural Sciences) A team of researchers in Japan modeled the two rings around Chariklo, the smallest body in the Solar System known to have rings.This is the first time an entire ring system has been simulated using realistic sizes for the ring particles. The simulation revealed that the ring particles are much smaller than predicted or that an undiscovered shepherd satellite around Chariklo is stabilizing the ring.