Asteroids with tails and dust shells blur the line between traditional solar system objects
As part of an ongoing international project to explore space objects, more than eight thousand volunteers, together with scientists, have discovered fifteen new «active» asteroids. These discoveries are the result of careful analysis of more than 430,000 images taken by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) at the Victor M. Blanco Telescope in Chile.
In a project called Active Asteroids, led by scientist Colin Orion Chandler of the University of Washington and the DiRAC Institute, participants were able to discover rare asteroids that exhibit unusual characteristics.
The peculiarity of these asteroids is that they have characteristics that blur the boundaries between asteroids and other space objects. Some have tails similar to comets, while others are surrounded by clouds of dust or gas. Since the discovery of the first such asteroid in 1949, only a few dozen similar objects have been found.
Active asteroids pose a real challenge to traditional ideas about the objects of the Solar System, and the study of their properties opens up new opportunities for understanding the behavior and origin of these unusual asteroids.
Their study can help in understanding the evolution of the solar system, the formation of planets and the origin of water on Earth. In addition, active asteroids could become a valuable source of resources for future space missions. The ice found in the tails of these asteroids can be used in deep space for a variety of purposes, including providing spacecraft with breathable air during long missions.
Participation in this project was a valuable experience for many volunteers. Italian amateur astronomer Virgilio Gonano noted that the opportunity to become part of such a project — this is a «dream come true». Volunteer and pioneer of the Active Asteroids project, Tiffany Shaw-Diaz from Ohio, emphasized that participation in the project has become an integral part of her life: “It is an honor to regularly work with such respected scientists.”