{"id":12546,"date":"2016-04-29T14:00:18","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T18:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12546"},"modified":"2016-04-29T19:20:26","modified_gmt":"2016-04-29T23:20:26","slug":"eso-ancient-inner-solar-system-object-returns-from-tour-of-the-oort-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12546","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Ancient inner solar system object returns from tour of the Oort Cloud"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new report from ESO<\/a> (European Southern Observatory):<\/p>\n

Unique Fragment from Earth\u2019s Formation Returns after
\nBillions of Years in Cold Storage<\/strong>
\n<\/a>Tailless Manx comet from Oort Cloud brings clues
\nabout the origin of the Solar System<\/em><\/p>\n

Astronomers have found a unique object that appears to be made of inner Solar System material from the time of Earth\u2019s formation, which has been preserved in the Oort Cloud far from the Sun for billions of years. Observations with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope, and the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, show that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) is the first object to be discovered on a long-period cometary orbit that has the characteristics of a pristine inner Solar System asteroid. It may provide important clues about how the Solar System formed.<\/p>\n

\"eso1614a[1]\"<\/a>
Artist’s impression<\/strong> of the unique object C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS). Observations with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope, and the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, show that this is the first object to be discovered that is on a long-period cometary orbit, but that has the characteristics of a pristine inner Solar System asteroid. It may provide important clues about how the Solar System formed. Because the object has spent most of its life away from the inner Solar System it suffered very few collisions, and its surface displays few or no craters. As it formed in the same region as the Earth did, it is mostly rocky, and therefore has only very limited cometary activity. Credit: ESO\/M. Kornmesser<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>In a paper to be published today in the journal Science Advances<\/em>, lead author Karen Meech of the University of Hawai`i\u2019s Institute for Astronomy and her colleagues conclude that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) formed in the inner Solar System at the same time as the Earth itself, but was ejected at a very early stage.<\/p>\n

Their observations indicate that it is an ancient rocky body, rather than a contemporary asteroid that strayed out. As such, it is one of the potential building blocks of the rocky planets, such as the Earth, that was expelled from the inner Solar System and preserved in the deep freeze of the Oort Cloud<\/a> for billions of years [1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"eso1614b[1]\"<\/a>
The unique rocky comet C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS)<\/a>: Observations with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope, and the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, show that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) is the first object to be discovered that is on a long-period cometary orbit, but that has the characteristics of a pristine inner Solar System asteroid. It may provide important clues about how the Solar System formed. This diagram shows the probable history of this object in both the inner and outer Solar System over a period of more than four billion years. The majority of this time was spent in the cold outskirts, in the Oort Cloud. Credit: ESO\/L. Cal\u00e7ada<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>Karen Meech explains the unexpected observation:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the Sun. This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe: it has been preserved in the best freezer there is.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) was originally identified by the Pan-STARRS1 <\/a>telescope as a weakly active comet a little over twice as far from the Sun as the Earth. Its current long orbital period (around 860 years) suggests that its source is in the Oort Cloud, and it was nudged comparatively recently into an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/cdn.eso.org\/videos\/medium_podcast\/eso1614a.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Observations with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope, and the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, show that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) is the first object to be discovered that is on a long-period cometary orbit, but that has the characteristics of a pristine inner Solar System asteroid. It may provide important clues about how the Solar System formed.<\/em><\/p>\n

This video shows the probable history of this object in both the inner and outer Solar System over a period of more than four billion years.\u00a0Credit:\u00a0ESO\/L. Cal\u00e7ada<\/em><\/p>\n

The team immediately noticed that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) was unusual, as it does not have the characteristic tail that most long-period comets have when they approach so close to the Sun. As a result, it has been dubbed a Manx comet, after the tailless cat<\/a>. Within weeks of its discovery, the team obtained spectra of the very faint object with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope<\/a> in Chile.<\/p>\n

Careful study of the light reflected by C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) indicates that it is typical of asteroids known as S-type<\/a>, which are usually found in the inner asteroid main belt. It does not look like a typical comet, which are believed to form in the outer Solar System and are icy, rather than rocky. It appears that the material has undergone very little processing, indicating that it has been deep frozen for a very long time. The very weak comet-like activity associated with C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS), which is consistent with the sublimation<\/a> of water ice, is about a million times lower than active long-period comets at a similar distance from the Sun.<\/p>\n

The authors conclude that this object is probably made of fresh inner Solar System material that has been stored in the Oort Cloud and is now making its way back into the inner Solar System.<\/p>\n

\"eso1614c[1]\"<\/a>
The unique rocky comet C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS)<\/a>: Observations with ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope, and the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope, show that C\/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) is the first object to be discovered that is on a long-period cometary orbit, but that has the characteristics of a pristine inner Solar System asteroid. It may provide important clues about how the Solar System formed. This image of the comet was acquired using the Canada France Hawai`i Telescope. Credit: K. Meech (IfA\/UH)\/CFHT\/ESO<\/figcaption><\/figure>A number of theoretical models are able to reproduce much of the structure we see in the Solar System. An important difference between these models is what they predict about the objects that make up the Oort Cloud. Different models predict significantly different ratios of icy to rocky objects. This first discovery of a rocky object from the Oort Cloud is therefore an important test of the different predictions of the models. The authors estimate that observations of 50\u2013100 of these Manx comets are needed to distinguish between the current models, opening up another rich vein in the study of the origins of the Solar System.<\/p>\n

Co-author Olivier Hainaut (ESO, Garching, Germany), concludes:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve found the first rocky comet, and we are looking for others. Depending how many we find, we will know whether the giant planets danced across the Solar System when they were young, or if they grew up quietly without moving much.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>[1] The Oort cloud is a huge region surrounding the Sun like a giant, thick soap bubble. It is estimated that it contains trillions of tiny icy bodies. Occasionally, one of these bodies gets nudged and falls into the inner Solar System, where the heat of the sun turns it into a comet. These icy bodies are thought to have been ejected from the region of the giant planets as these were forming, in the early days of the Solar System.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new report from ESO (European Southern Observatory): Unique Fragment from Earth\u2019s Formation Returns after Billions of Years in Cold Storage Tailless Manx comet from Oort Cloud brings clues about the origin of the Solar System Astronomers have found a unique object that appears to be made of inner Solar System material from the time … Continue reading ESO: Ancient inner solar system object returns from tour of the Oort Cloud<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-3gm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9453,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9453","url_meta":{"origin":12546,"position":0},"title":"Rosetta findings show comet’s water differs from that in earth’s oceans","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Findings from Rosetta indicate comet water is probably not a major source of water on earth: Rosetta fuels debate on origin of Earth\u2019s oceans 10 December 2014:\u00a0ESA\u2019s Rosetta spacecraft has found the water vapour from its target comet to be significantly different to that found on Earth. 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