Mike Curtiss (9 Nov 2013)
"A Asteroid Doest Have Thrusters Like These"
Hubble spots strange asteroid with 6 tails of dust
Associated Press
By MARCIA DUNN6 hours ago
This combination of Sept. 10 and 23, 2013 photos provided by NASA shows
six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt,
designated P/2013 P5. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered it in the
asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. A research team
led by the University of California at Los Angeles believes the asteroid
is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It’s believed to
be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million
years ago. (AP Photo/NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt - UCLA)
This combination of Sept. 10 and 23, 2013 photos provided by NASA shows
six comet-like tails radiating from a body in the asteroid belt,
designated P/2013 P5. The Hubble Space Telescope discovered it in the
asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. A research team
led by the University of California at Los Angeles believes the asteroid
is rotating so much that its surface is flying apart. It’s believed to
be a fragment of a larger asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million
years ago. (AP Photo/NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt - UCLA)
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — This is one strange asteroid.
The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a six-tailed asteroid in the
asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Scientists say
they've never seen anything like it. Incredibly, the comet-like tails
change shape as the asteroid sheds dust. The streams have occurred over
several months.
A research team led by the University of California, Los Angeles,
believes the asteroid, designated P/2013 P5, is rotating so much that
its surface is flying apart. It's believed to be a fragment of a larger
asteroid damaged in a collision 200 million years ago.
Scientists using the Pan-STARRS telescope in Hawaii spotted the asteroid
in August. Hubble picked out all the tails in September.
The discovery is described in this week's issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters.