Shape-Shifting Asteroid with a Comet-like Tail
Active asteroids blur the distinction between asteroids and comets. Like other asteroids, they orbit the Sun in a belt between Mars and Jupiter. But they can also “shape shift," unfurling spectacular comet-like tails, then packing them away again. Observations of P/2017 S5 made with the WIYN telescope identify it as a water-bearing active asteroid and a step toward understanding the origin of water on Earth. The study was carried out by a team led by D. Jewitt (UCLA) that includes NOAO astronomers Jayadev Rajagopal, Susan Ridgway, and Wilson Liu.
Créditos:Left: WIYN Image; Right: HST Image; Credit: D. Jewitt
About the Image
Id: | noaoann19003a |
Tipo: | Collage |
Release date: | 31 de Enero de 2019 |
Related announcements: | noaoann19003 |
Size: | 1041 x 360 px |
Sobre el Objeto
Categoría: | Solar System |