Scientists from the University of Sheffield have discovered a new planet with rings in the solar system. The results of the study are described in the journal Nature.

It is about the dwarf planet Kvavar, located at the edge of the solar system. The object was first discovered in 2002, is half the size of Pluto and orbits the Sun behind Neptune. Now, with the help of modern equipment HiPERCAM installed on the world’s largest optical telescope Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), it was possible to fix the rings near the planet.

At the same time, their rings are too small and weak to be seen in the picture. The discovery was made by observing the shadow formed when the background star obscures during Kvavar’s rotation cycle. The event lasted less than a minute, but during that time the rings formed barriers that indicated their presence in the light.

Ring systems are not very common in the solar system. The most famous are the rings of Saturn, Jupiter, and then Uranus and Neptune. Of the minor planets, only Chariklos and Haumea have rings. The uniqueness of Kvavar is that it is more than seven planetary radii away. This is twice what was previously thought to be the maximum distance relative to the Roche limit, the limit at which ring systems can exist. For example, Saturn’s rings are no more than three planetary radii apart.

A new study is forcing scientists to rethink the theory of ring formation.