This SpringerBrief summarizes the latest relevant research and discoveries that have been made in the area of ringed small bodies and small body taxonomy, including those that lay the groundwork for future discoveries. Before 2013, ringed small bodies were only theoretical. Thus, there are very limited publications available on this relatively new subfield of astronomy. With the introduction of the GAIA catalogue, star positions are now known better than ever before. Since rings are discovered through the use of starlight occultation, we could very well be looking at an explosion of discoveries of ringed small bodies in the near future. Each chapter is accompanied by exercises, and an end-of-book answer key is provided. As such, this brief will benefit students and researchers alike who wish to have a single document and quick access to the latest information on ringed small bodies and small body taxonomy.

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Dr. Jeremy Wood hails from Washington, Indiana and holds a PhD in astronomy from the University of Southern Queensland. He has over 20 years experience teaching physics and astronomy at the introductory college level. Each class is supplemented with online material, and he has also authored two physics lab manuals for use by his students. Dr. Wood continues to be on the forefront of research on small bodies and also is an astrometric measurer of small bodies for the International Astronomical Search Collaboration . He has been the lead author on three relevant professional publications and has authored the novel "Chaotic Planet: Origin."

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