{"id":14947,"date":"2017-09-21T09:05:36","date_gmt":"2017-09-21T13:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14947"},"modified":"2017-09-21T00:24:59","modified_gmt":"2017-09-21T04:24:59","slug":"hubble-observes-unusual-asteroid-pair-with-comet-like-coma-and-tail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14947","title":{"rendered":"Hubble observes unusual asteroid pair with comet-like coma and tail"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hubble telescope<\/span><\/a> spots an unusual pair of asteroids that orbit each other and also emit water vapor like the coma<\/a> and tail<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>of a comet:<\/p>\n

Hubble discovers a unique type of object in the Solar System<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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This artist\u2019s impression shows the binary asteroid 288P, located in the main asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. The object is unique as it is a binary asteroid which also behaves like a comet. The comet-like properties are the result of water sublimation, caused by the heat of the Sun. The orbit of the asteroids is marked by a blue ellipse. [Larger images<\/a>]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>With the help of the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, a German-led group of astronomers have observed the intriguing characteristics of an unusual type of object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter: two asteroids orbiting each other and exhibiting comet-like features, including a bright coma and a long tail. This is the first known binary asteroid also classified as a comet. The research is presented in a paper published in the journal Nature this week.<\/p>\n

In September 2016, just before the\u00a0asteroid<\/a>\u00a0288P made its closest approach to the Sun, it was close enough to Earth to allow astronomers a detailed look at it using the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope\u00a0[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n