詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜通过恒星掩星观测技术，发现小行星凯里克洛的两条环在短短数年内出现了显著变化1。这颗直径约250公里的小行星位于太阳系内，距离太阳约为地球到太阳距离的17倍1。其环系统于2013年首次被发现1，而最新的JWST观测发生在2022年10月18日1。研究结果表明，凯里克洛的内环不透明度增加，外环不透明度降低1。
安达卢西亚天体物理研究所研究员帕布罗·桑托斯-桑兹领导的国际研究团队发表了这一发现，该团队来自西班牙、巴西、法国、匈牙利和美国1。这项研究刊登在《科学进展》杂志2026年第12卷第37期上1。桑托斯-桑兹表示："我们的结果迫使我们重新思考它们如何形成、如何演化以及什么机制维持其稳定性。"1这一发现表明，围绕小型太阳系天体的环系统可能比此前认为的具有更强的动态性，对现有的环形成和演化理论提出了新的挑战1。
The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that the rings surrounding the small solar system body Chariklo are undergoing significant transformations at a faster rate than scientists previously anticipated.1 Using stellar occultation observations on October 18, 2022, researchers detected notable changes in both of Chariklo's rings over a span of just several years: the inner ring's opacity increased while the outer ring's opacity decreased.1
Chariklo, which measures approximately 250 kilometers across and orbits at roughly 17 times Earth's distance from the Sun, had its rings first discovered in 2013.1 The findings challenge existing theories about how ring systems around small celestial bodies form and evolve.1 Pablo Santos-Sanz, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), stated that the results compel scientists to reconsider fundamental aspects of these structures: "Our results force us to rethink how they form, how they evolve, and what mechanisms maintain their stability."1
The research, conducted by teams from Spain, Brazil, France, Hungary, and the United States, demonstrates that ring systems around minor solar system objects may be far more dynamic than previously believed.1 The study was published in Science Advances in volume 12, issue 37, 2026, and was based on observations made when Chariklo was traveling at 2.5 kilometers per second relative to the James Webb Space Telescope, which operates from the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange Point approximately 1.5 million kilometers beyond Earth.1
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