Astronomers focus on the blue asteroid
Astronomers focus on the blue asteroid
Researchers have glimpsed an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon.
(National Astronomical Observatory of Japan)If the enthusiasm of researchers is an indication, an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon may be out of this world in more ways than one.
University of Arizona Ph.D. Student Teddy Kareta led a group of researchers studying space rock. The group presented its findings on Tuesday at a conference of the Planetary Science Division of the American Astronomical Society in Tennessee.
But what is it that makes 3200 Phaethon so interesting?
The blue asteroid behind the Geminid meteor shower was found in the heavens in 1983. Prior to that, astronomers connected meteor showers to comets, Kareta wrote in a press release.
"At that time, it was assumed that Phaeton was probably a dead and burned comet," Kareta said, "but comets are typically red and not blue, so even if Phaeton's very eccentric orbit should scream" dead comet "It's hard to say if Phaethon is more like an asteroid or more like a dead comet."
Kareta wrote that to make his observations, his team used telescopes in Arizona and Hawaii to observe the sunlight reflected in the space rock.
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The asteroid, wrote Kareta, "appears to be one of the" bluest "of asteroids or comets of similar color in the solar system." The asteroids, he hastened to add, are often "dull gray to red."
The team has also linked 3200 Phaethon to another blue asteroid, dubbed 2 Pallas. Kareta wrote that the group believes that Phaethon "could be related to or separated from" that other object.
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