<
https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-dark-comet-a-quick-guide-to-the-new-kids-in-the-solar-system-245763>
"In 2017, NASA discovered and later confirmed the first interstellar object to
enter our Solar System.
It wasn’t aliens. But artist impressions of the object (called ‘Oumuamua, the
Hawaiian word for “scout”) do resemble an alien spaceship out of a sci-fi
novel. This strange depiction is because astronomers don’t quite know how to
classify the interstellar visitor.
Its speed and path around the Sun don’t match a typical asteroid, but it also
has no bright tail or nucleus (icy core) we normally associate with comets.
However, 'Oumuamua has erratic motions that are consistent with gas escaping
from its surface. This “dark comet” has had astronomers scratching their heads
ever since.
Flash forward to today, and more of these mysterious objects have been
discovered, with another ten announced just last week. While their nature and
origins remain elusive, astronomers recently confirmed dark comets fall into
two main categories: smaller objects that reside in our inner Solar System, and
larger objects (100 metres or more) that remain beyond the orbit of Jupiter.
In fact, 3200 Phaethon – the parent body of the famous Geminid meteor shower –
may be one of these objects."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
