Minor Planets Can Gain Rings When Larger Worlds Tear Them Apart
ring are not exclusive to the Solar System ’s gas goliath . Two minor planet also sport them , and now astronomers know how they form . pocket-size planets include objects like nanus planets , asteroids , and asteroid - like objects found between Jupiter and Neptune call centaurs . An international team of astrophysicists simulate how centaurs interact with the giant planet and , according to their study published in theAstrophysical Journal Letters , the enceinte major planet rips the control surface of the underage satellite , and the debris sets into a ring ....