Researchers discovered a new active asteroid with a tail in the solar system's main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Active asteroids have only just recently started to be recognized by scientists. This new object, dubbed 62412, is the 13th known active asteroid in the main asteroid belt, the Carnegie Institution reported.
These active asteroids have stable orbits between Mars and Jupiter. Unlike other asteroids they can look similar to comet because dust and gas is often ejected from their surfaces, creating a tail effect. Researchers noticed one of these tails on 62412, revealing that it was an active asteroid.
"Until about ten years ago, it was pretty obvious what a comet was and what a comet wasn't, but that is all changing as we realize that not all of these objects show activity all of the time," said Carnegie's Scott Sheppard.
In the past asteroids were believed to be unchanging objects, but recent research has revealed moving tails in some cases. The findings could help researchers determine the process that makes an asteroid active. They found 62412 has a very fast rotation that shifts material around its surface, which is responsible for the comet-like appearance. The tail is believed to be made from material ejected directly off the nucleus. It could also be from the asteroid subliming into water vapor after being exposed on its surface
The team also found a density of 62412 typical of primitive asteroids as opposed to lower-density comets. In the future the researchers hope to make more observations, and gain insight into what creates the asteroid's mysterious tail.
"We're actually looking anew through our deep survey at a population of objects that other people cannot easily observe, because we're going much deeper," Sheppard said.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Astrophysical Journal.
