(Press-News.org) Some things are not always what they seem—even in space. For 30 years, scientists believed a large near-Earth object was an asteroid. Now, an international team including Joshua Emery, assistant professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has discovered it is actually a comet.
Called 3552 Don Quixote, the body is the third largest near-Earth object—mostly rocky bodies, or asteroids, that orbit the Sun in the vicinity of Earth. About 5 percent of near-Earth objects are thought to be "dead" comets that have shed all the water and carbon dioxide in the form of ice that give them their coma—a cloud surrounding the comet nucleus—and tail.
The team found that Don Quixote is neither. It is, in fact, an active comet, thus likely containing water ice and not just rocks. The finding will be presented at the European Planetary Science Congress 2013 in London today, Sept. 10. The discovery could hold implications for the origin of water on Earth.
"Don Quixote has always been recognized as an oddball," said Emery. "Its orbit brings it close to Earth, but also takes it way out past Jupiter. Such a vast orbit is similar to a comet's, not an asteroid's, which tend to be more circular—so people thought it was one that had shed all its ice deposits."
Using the Spitzer Space Telescope operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology under contract with NASA, the team—led by Michael Mommert of Northern Arizona University—reexamined images of Don Quixote from 2009 when it was in the part of its orbit closest to the Sun, and found it had a coma and a faint tail.
Emery also reexamined images from 2004, when it was at its farthest distance from the sun, and determined that the surface is composed of silicate dust, which is similar to comet dust. He also determined that Don Quixote did not have a coma or tail at this distance, which is common for comets because they need the sun's radiation to form the coma and the sun's charged particles to form the tail. The researchers also confirmed Don Quixote's size and the low, comet-like reflectivity of its surface.
"The power of the Spitzer telescope allowed us to spot the coma and tail, which was not possible using optical telescopes on the ground," said Emery. "We now think this body contains a lot of ice, including carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide ice, rather than just being rocky."
This discovery implies that carbon dioxide and water ice might be present within other near-Earth asteroids, as well. It also may have implications for the origins of water on Earth as comets may be the source of at least some of it, and the amount on Don Quixote represents about 100 billion tons of water—roughly the same amount that can be found in Lake Tahoe, California's.
INFORMATION:
The project was funded by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope project and the German Research Foundation. Co-authors are Joseph Hora and Howard Smith, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Alan Harris, German Aerospace Center; William Reach, Universities Space Research Association; Cristina Thomas, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Michael Mueller, Space Research Organization Netherlands ; Dale Cruikshank, NASA Ames Research Center; David Trilling, Northern Arizona University; and Marco Delbo', Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur.
University of Tennessee professor helps to discover near-Earth asteroid is really a comet
Some things are not always what they seem -- even in space
2013-09-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Jurassic jaws: How ancient crocodiles flourished during the age of the dinosaurs
2013-09-11
New research has revealed the hidden past of crocodiles, showing for the first time how these fierce reptiles evolved and survived in a dinosaur dominated world.
While most modern crocodiles live in freshwater habitats and feed on mammals and fish, their ancient relatives were extremely diverse – with some built for running around like dogs on land and others adapting to life in the open ocean, imitating the feeding behaviour of today's killer whales.
Research published today [11 September] in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows, for the first time, ...
Tingling sensation caused by Asian spice could help patients with chronic pain
2013-09-11
The science behind the tingling sensation caused by eating a popular Asian spice has been explained by researchers at UCL.
The study, which is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, helps shed light on the complex interactions between the senses of taste and touch, and could lead to a greater understanding of the causes of the tingling sensations experienced by many chronic pain patients.
Widely used in Asian cooking, the Szechuan pepper was found to mimic the sense of touch in the brain. It chemically activates light-touch fibres on the lips and ...
NIH scientists develop new tests to detect drug-resistant malaria
2013-09-11
WHAT:
Researchers have developed two tests that can discern within three days whether the malaria parasites in a given patient will be resistant or susceptible to artemisinin, the key drug used to treat malaria. The tests were developed by researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, working with French and Cambodian colleagues in Cambodia. They offer a more rapid, less costly advantage over current drug-responsiveness tests, which require malaria patients to be hospitalized for blood draws ...
5-fold increase in ADHD medication use in children and adolescents
2013-09-11
New Rochelle, NY, September 10, 2013—Use of stimulant medications to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents has increased significantly over the past several years. This trend toward increased use of prescription stimulants extends beyond ADHD to other types of neuropsychiatric disorders in children and teens as well, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), according to a study published in Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology (JCAP), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is ...
Study details paired risk factors in preeclampsia
2013-09-11
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Although preeclampsia occurs in about 3 percent of pregnancies, it's still unforeseen in many cases. A report of new research, now in press at the Journal of Reproductive Immunology, documents how two distinct risk factors combine to affect the odds that a first-time mother could develop the sometimes life-threatening pregnancy complication. The findings suggest there could be new ways to plan pregnancy with improved awareness and management of the risk.
For years evidence has mounted that preeclampsia may have its origin in the mother's ...
How the newest diesel engines emit very little greenhouse gas nitrous oxide
2013-09-11
RICHLAND, Wash. -- The newest catalytic converters in diesel engines blast away a pollutant from combustion with the help of ammonia. Common in European cars, the engines exhaust harmless nitrogen and water. How they do this hasn't been entirely clear. Now, new research shows that the catalyst attacks its target pollutant in an unusual way, providing insight into how to make the best catalytic converters.
Reporting in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a team of researchers in the Institute for Integrated Catalysis at the Department of Energy's Pacific ...
UCI-led study creates new memories by directly changing the brain
2013-09-11
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 10, 2013 — By studying how memories are made, UC Irvine neurobiologists created new, specific memories by direct manipulation of the brain, which could prove key to understanding and potentially resolving learning and memory disorders.
Research led by senior author Norman M. Weinberger, a research professor of neurobiology & behavior at UC Irvine, and colleagues has shown that specific memories can be made by directly altering brain cells in the cerebral cortex, which produces the predicted specific memory. The researchers say this is the first evidence ...
Researchers' tweets move science forward
2013-09-11
CORAL GABLES, FL (Sept. 10, 2013)--Social media is changing the way that scientists are interacting with each other and with the global community. One example is the way that researchers use Twitter to increase the impact of their research. David Shiffman, a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami's Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, describes the advantages of tweeting during the development of scientific publications.
Incorporating Twitter into the different stages of a scientific publication allows scientists to connect more quickly, facilitates interdisciplinary ...
Analysis: Provider-initiated solutions improve quality of care in nursing homes
2013-09-11
INDIANAPOLIS -- A new study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University Center for Aging Research has found that nursing home care improves in critical areas -- including falls, quality of life and rehospitalizations -- when state government and nursing homes collaborate in a performance-based incentive program that promotes local solutions to local problems.
The researchers analyzed the impact that Minnesota's Performance-based Incentive Payment Program had on care quality in participating nursing homes. With state funding, PIPP puts emphasis on nursing ...
What do liberals and conservatives look for in a date?
2013-09-11
Coral Gables, FL (September 10, 2013) - Liberals and conservatives are looking for the same thing when they join online dating websites, according to new research co-authored by University of Miami political scientist Casey Klofstad. The study, published in Political Behavior, shows that both liberals and conservatives are looking for a partner who is like themselves.
For their study, titled "The Dating Preferences of Liberals and Conservatives," the research team randomly sampled 2,944 profiles from a popular Internet dating site, and examined the dating preference ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Chung-Ang University develops chloride-resistant Ru nanocatalysts for sustainable hydrogen production from seawater
Afghanistan’s August 2025 earthquake reveals the cost of international isolation, UN scientists warn
Shortlist announced for Panmure House Prize
Small nuclear RNA base editing a safer alternative to CRISPR, UC San Diego researchers find
Can Hayabusa2 touchdown? New study reveals space mission’s target asteroid is tinier and faster than thought
Millisecond windows of time may be key to how we hear, study finds
Graz University of Technology opens up new avenues in lung cancer research with digital cell twin
Exoplanets are not water worlds
Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices
New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism
A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?
New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair
Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network
iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis
New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey
QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power
Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health
Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world
Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on
A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice
ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle
Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air
GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients
Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds
Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity
Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests
Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows
Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer
SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events
[Press-News.org] University of Tennessee professor helps to discover near-Earth asteroid is really a cometSome things are not always what they seem -- even in space