Mysterious discovery between Mars and Jupiter: Icy celestial body remains highly active despite the Sun!
Scientists have taken an important step in understanding the distribution of ice in the inner regions of the Solar System by discovering an icy celestial body in the main asteroid belt. Defined as a main-belt comet, this celestial body surprisingly remains active despite the heat of the Sun.
12punto
Scientists have discovered a mysterious new celestial body in the main asteroid belt.
"NEW CELESTIAL BODY DEFINED AS A 'COMET'"
It has been announced that this object was identified as a main-belt comet by Henry Hsieh (Planetary Science Institute), Scott Sheppard (Carnegie Institution for Science), and Audrey Thirouin (Lowell Observatory).
"WHAT IS A MAIN-BELT COMET?"
Main-belt comets are icy objects located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
However, the new celestial body has been described as a highly remarkable finding. This is because icy objects are generally expected to be found in the cold, outer regions of the Solar System.
These comets exhibit characteristic features such as tails formed by the Sun's heat vaporizing their ice, or fuzzy clouds appearing around them.
"DISCOVERED IN 2006"
The first main-belt comets were identified in 2006 by Hsieh and his doctoral advisor David Jewitt at the University of Hawaii.
Main-belt comets are part of a broader group known as active asteroids in the Solar System.
These objects exhibit comet-like behaviors but move in asteroid-like orbits in the warmer, inner regions of the Solar System.
"THEY IMITATE COMETS"
Active asteroids include not only comet-like behaviors resulting from ice sublimation, but also dust clouds and tails caused by collisions or rapid rotations.
Although main-belt comets and active asteroids are relatively rare, scientists are detecting them more frequently with the advancement of observation techniques.
"BECAME THE 14TH CONFIRMED COMET"
Hsieh and his team observed the active asteroid 456P/PANSTARRS twice using the Magellan Baade Telescope and the Lowell Discovery Telescope, determining that this object is the 14th confirmed main-belt comet.
"INNATELY ACTIVE AND ICY"
Hsieh explained, "This object is not an asteroid that became active by experiencing an event just once; it is an innately active and icy celestial body, similar to other comets in the outer Solar System."