Crashed Asteroid Has a Tail that Keeps Getting Longer

www.universetoday.com ^ | June 4, 2013 | Nancy Atkinson on

[BenLurkin]

A strange comet-like object discovered in 2010 ended up being an asteroid that had been the victim of a head-on collision from another space rock. The object created a bit of buzz because of its mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and long, trailing streamers of dust. Named P/2010 A2 (LINEAR), the object is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and has been the focus of much study, including images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and many ground-based observatories. But over time, the asteroid’s long dust tail has grown to be so long that the entire object can’t fit into the field of view of most observatories.

[BenLurkin]

This photo is the one that "created a stir" -
Hubble Views of Comet-like Asteroid P/2010 A2. Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (UCLA)

[American in Israel]

The grainy film makes it look like dust, but if it was dust the chunks would be the size of cars. I suspect this is an arc discharge.

[ClearCase_guy]

We’re gonna die

[onedoug]

Someday.

[driftdiver]

Looks like a klingon battle cruiser

[mountn man]

Looks like the Cylons have found us.

[muir_redwoods]

I wonder if they’ve ruled out a comet encrusted with meteoritic dust and fragments. Something like an ice cream rolled in chopped nuts. I have no idea if such a composite is common or even known but it would help explain a meteor-looking object with a comet like tail.

[Charles Martel]

Romulan Bird of Prey.

[rarestia]

It's a Caldari Caracal!

[BenLurkin]

[houeto]

Ping!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks houeto, an extra to APoD members, to make up for that day I was offline and running behind.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks houeto.

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[cripplecreek]

[null and void]

Of something.

[onedoug]

Somewhere.

[tbw2]

It probably started breaking up when an impact broke it up and put it on the trajectory toward the sun, hence the tail.

[catfish1957]

Nope, Obama’s IRS Death Star.