Drag to orbit the small icy body 10199 Chariklo and its two real rings, then toggle the scale comparison to see how they would look next to Saturn's much larger ring system.
Astronomers found Chariklo's rings on 2013-06-03 by watching it pass in front of a distant star (a stellar occultation) - the star's light flickered twice on each side, a signature that had never been seen around anything smaller than a giant planet before.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. For the giant-planet ring system these tiny rings get compared against, see the Saturn Rings 3D Explorer.
Chariklo Rings 3D Explorer
This browser explorer renders the small Centaur 10199 Chariklo and its two real rings, then lets you zoom out to a consistent scale that also places Saturn's much larger ring system in view.
On 2013-06-03, a team led by Felipe Braga-Ribas watched Chariklo pass in front of a background star and saw the star's light dim twice on each side of the main occultation - the signature of two dense, narrow rings. Published in Nature in 2014, it was the first ring system ever confirmed around a body smaller than a giant planet. Chariklo is a Centaur, a small icy body orbiting the Sun between Saturn and Uranus, with a mean diameter of about 250 km. Its inner ring sits at a radius of about 391 km from Chariklo's center and is about 7 km wide; its outer ring sits at about 405 km and is about 3 km wide, separated from the inner ring by a roughly 9 km gap. For comparison, Saturn's own main ring system (the D through A rings) reaches from about 66,900 km to about 136,780 km from Saturn's center - Chariklo's entire ring system would fit inside a small fraction of that span.
- Watch the two real rings orbiting the small, irregular body
- Toggle the scale comparison to see Chariklo and its rings against Saturn's ring extent
- Read the real 2014 discovery figures in the facts panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Value |
|---|---|
| Chariklo mean diameter | about 250 km |
| Inner ring radius / width | about 391 km / about 7 km |
| Outer ring radius / width | about 405 km / about 3 km |
| Gap between rings | about 9 km |
| Discovery method / date | Stellar occultation, 2013-06-03 |
| Saturn main ring span (D-A rings) | about 66,900 km to about 136,780 km from Saturn's center |
For the giant-planet ring system Chariklo's rings get compared against in this scene, open the Saturn Rings 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - Chariklo's exact 3D shape is simplified, and the two ring widths are enlarged on screen so they stay visible (their real widths are only a few kilometers). The body diameter, ring radii, ring widths, the gap between them, and the Saturn comparison distances shown in the facts panel are the real published figures, all placed on one consistent scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 10199 Chariklo?
A Centaur - a small icy body that orbits the Sun between Saturn and Uranus - with a mean diameter of about 250 km.
How were Chariklo's rings discovered?
On 2013-06-03, astronomers led by Felipe Braga-Ribas watched Chariklo pass in front of a background star (a stellar occultation) and saw the star's light dim twice on each side, revealing two dense, narrow rings. The discovery was published in Nature in 2014.
Why was this discovery significant?
It was the first ring system ever confirmed around a body smaller than a giant planet - until 2013, rings were only known around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
How big are Chariklo's rings?
The inner ring has a radius of about 391 km and is about 7 km wide; the outer ring has a radius of about 405 km and is about 3 km wide; a roughly 9 km gap separates them.
How does that compare to Saturn's rings?
Saturn's main D through A rings reach from about 66,900 km to about 136,780 km from Saturn's center - tens of thousands of kilometers wide. Chariklo's entire ring system, at only about 14 km across including the gap, would fit inside a tiny fraction of that span.
Is this a to-scale physical simulation?
No. This is an educational approximation. Chariklo's exact 3D shape is simplified and the ring widths are enlarged on screen so they stay visible. The body diameter, ring radii and widths, the gap between the rings, and the Saturn comparison distances are the real published figures, placed on one consistent scale.
What keeps the rings narrow around a small body like Chariklo?
Researchers have proposed a small shepherd moon may confine the ring material through gravitational resonance, similar to how some of Saturn's narrow rings are shepherded - but Chariklo's case is still an active area of study.
Is Chariklo the only small body known to have rings?
No. Since the 2013 Chariklo discovery, a ring has also been confirmed around the dwarf planet Haumea (2017), and other small bodies are under study for possible ring or shell material.