A rapid reshaping of orbits resulting from a close encounter with Jupiter or Saturn can lead Centaurs to exhibit comet-like activity, according to a Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Eva Lilly paper.
Astronomy
Jan 9, 2024
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79
Observations during a stellar occultation detected the presence of evolving material orbiting around Centaur (2060) Chiron, rather than a two-ring system interpretation, according to a paper by Planetary Science Institute ...
Astronomy
Nov 29, 2023
0
22
A study published Nov. 6 in The Planetary Science Journal examines how NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has conducted a first-time detection of carbon dioxide in a centaur, this one designated 39P/Oterma. A centaur ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 7, 2023
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64
From Mercury to the depths of the distant Kuiper Belt, there aren't many unexplored corners of the solar system out there. One class of object, however, remains to be visited: the transitional Centaurs out beyond the orbit ...
Space Exploration
Oct 29, 2021
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53
Often, the squeaky wheel, or at least the shiniest object, seems to get all the attention. In a new study led by PSI Research Scientist Eva Lilly, it is the inactive Centaurs that take center stage and illuminate why other ...
Astronomy
Sep 15, 2021
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90
A mysterious object temporarily orbiting Earth is a 54-year-old rocket, not an asteroid after all, astronomers confirmed Wednesday.
Space Exploration
Dec 3, 2020
0
148
A comet discovered last year is offering scientists new insights into how these objects "turn on" and evolve, as it actually transitions out of the Centaur population and into the Jupiter Family of Comets (JFCs), according ...
Astronomy
Nov 27, 2020
0
621
Centaurs are minor planets believed to have originated in the Kuiper Belt in the outer solar system. They sometimes have comet-like features such as tails and comae—clouds of dust particles and gas—even though they orbit ...
Astronomy
Oct 28, 2020
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10634
Comets are known to have a temper. As they swoop in from the outer edges of our solar system, these icy bodies begin spewing gas and dust as they venture closer to the sun. Their luminous outbursts can result in spectacular ...
Astronomy
Oct 24, 2019
7
1182
A new study led by a University of Central Florida researcher may fundamentally alter our understanding of how comets arrive from the outskirts of the solar system and are funneled to the inner solar system coming closer ...
Astronomy
Sep 20, 2019
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1552
