A team of scientists has discovered an intriguing asteroid-comet hybrid, identified as ‘like nothing seen before’ in our solar system.
Named 2060 Chiron, this 125-mile-wide hybrid has captured the attention of researchers, especially with insights gained from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Through examining near-infrared images, scientists at the UCF Florida Space Institute (FSI) have found that the surface of Chiron contains ancient chemicals, predating elements like CO2 and methane.
Dr. Charles Schambeau, collaborating with astronomers from the University of Central Florida, noted: “These results are like nothing we’ve seen before.”
“These detections enhance our understanding of Chiron’s interior composition and how that material produces the unique behaviours as we observe Chiron.”
This asteroid-comet hybrid belongs to a category known as Centaurs—space objects that orbit the sun between Jupiter and Neptune—and was first identified in 1977.
However, Chiron distinguishes itself due to its unique characteristics compared to other Centaurs.
“It’s an oddball when compared to the majority of other Centaurs,” Dr. Schambeau stated. “It has periods where it behaves like a comet, it has rings of material around it, and potentially a debris field of small dust or rocky material orbiting around it.”
Dr. Noemi Pinilla-Alonso, an Associate Scientist at UCF FSI and lead researcher on the project, explained: “What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface, where most of the ices can be found, and the coma, where we see gases that are originating from the surface or just below it.”
“Asteroids don’t have this kind of activity because they don’t have ice on them. Comets, on the other hand, show activity like centaurs, but they are typically observed closer to the sun, and their comas are so thick that they complicate the interpretations of observations of the ices on the surface.”
She continued: “Discovering which gases are part of the coma and their different relationships with the ices on the surface helps us learn the physical and chemical properties, such as the thickness and the porosity of the ice layer, its composition, and how irradiation is affecting it.”
Although the initial discovery occurred nearly four decades ago, this recent development is an exciting one for researchers.
Discussing future research possibilities, Dr. Pinilla-Alonso added: “We’re going to follow up with Chiron.”
“It will come closer to us, and if we can study it at nearer distances and get better reads on the quantities and nature of the ices, silicates, and organics, we will be able to better understand how seasonal insolation variations and different illumination patterns can affect its behavior and its ice reservoir.”
The findings have been reported in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.