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Asteroid Collision May Have Created Comet-like Object

A strange comet-like object discovered on January 6, 2010 may actually be the result of a collision between two asteroids. Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) sky survey in New Mexico spotted an object in the asteroid belt, called P/2010 A that looked "fuzzy," with a tail like a comet rather than a speck of light like a normal asteroid. But comets don't normally reside in the asteroid belt, and the object's orbit is all wrong for a comet. While the asteroid belt is made up of debris from the "leftovers" of our solar system, and like the remains of early crashes between giant rocks, astronomers haven't witnessed a collision before.

A Hyper-Velocity Impact In the Asteroid Belt?

astroengine writes "Astronomers have spotted something rather odd in the asteroid belt. It looks like a comet, but it's got a circular orbit, similar to an asteroid. Whether it's an asteroid or a comet, it has a long, comet-like tail, suggesting something is being vented into space. Some experts think it could be a very rare comet/asteroid hybrid being heated by the sun, but there's an even more exciting possibility: It could be the first ever observation of two asteroids colliding in the asteroid belt."

Has the Hubble Space Telescope spied asteroid-on-asteroid collision debris?

Astronomers have long suspected that objects in the main asteroid belt -- between Mars and Jupiter -- collide. Now they have what could be direct evidence.

Asteroid collision spotted by Hubble

The Hubble Space Telescope took images of the apparent asteroid collision January 25 and 29, NASA says.

Hubble Sees Suspected Asteroid Collision

Asteroid collisions are energetic, with an average impact speed of more than 11,000 miles per hour--five times faster than a rifle bullet. The main nucleus of P/2010 A2 would be the surviving remnant of this so-called hypervelocity collision. For a larger version of this image please go here.

Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Odd X-Pattern of Trailing Debris

Something awfully curious is happening 100 million miles from Earth in the asteroid belt. There's a newly discovered object that superficially looks like a comet but lives among the asteroids. The distinction? Comets swoop along elliptical orbits close in to the Sun and grow long gaseous and dusty tails, as ices near the surface turn into vapor and release dust. But asteroids are mostly in circular orbits in the asteroid belt and are not normally expected to be "volatile."

Suspected asteroid collision leaves odd X-pattern of trailing debris

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust that suggest a head-on collision between two asteroids. Astronomers have long thought the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never been seen before.

Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Trailing Debris

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust that suggest a head-on collision between two asteroids. Astronomers have long thought the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never been seen before.

Suspected Asteroid Collision Leaves Odd X-Pattern of Trailing Debris

This is a NASA Hubble Space Telescope picture of a comet-like object called P/2010 A2, which was first discovered by the LINEAR (Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program) sky survey on January 6. The object appears so unusual in ground-based telescopic images that discretionary time on Hubble was used to take a close-up look. This picture, from the January 29 observation, shows a bizarre X-pattern of filamentary structures near the point-like nucleus of the object and trailing streamers of dust. The inset picture shows a complex structure that suggests the object is not a comet but instead the product of a head-on collision between two asteroids traveling five times faster than a rifle bullet (5 kilometers per second). Credit: NASA, ESA, and D.

Hubble captures first ever asteroid collision as X marks the spot

X marks the spot of asteroid collision in space captured by the Hubble telescope which has left astronomers baffled.

Strange "Comet" May Be Asteroid Collision Debris

A curious, comet-like object recently found in pictures from a ground-based telescope might actually be fallout from a high-speed asteroid collision, planetary scientists report.

Comet-like object might be asteroid collision debris

Washington, January 22 : Planetary scientists have suggested that a curious, comet-like object recently found in pictures from a ground-based telescope might actually be fallout from a high-speed asteroid collision.

Hubble telescope records aftermath of asteroid collision

Hubble Space Telescope's image of a mystery object, first thought to be a comet but now considered the product of a head-on collision between two asteroids traveling five times faster than a rifle bullet. Astronomers have long thought that the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never before been seen.

Hubble telescope sees aftermath of asteroid collision

Hubble Space Telescope's image of a mystery object, first thought to be a comet but now considered the product of a head-on collision between two asteroids traveling five times faster than a rifle bullet. Astronomers have long thought that the asteroid belt is being ground down through collisions, but such a smashup has never before been seen.

Asteroid or man made object approaches earth

On Wednesday (Jan. 13), an object called 2010 AL30 will fly by Earth at a distance of 130,000 km (80,000 miles). That's only one-third of the way from here to the moon. This small object is cataloged as a 10 meter-wide asteroid and there's no chance it will impact Earth, but it does provide astronomers with an interesting opportunity. What makes this near-Earth object (NEO) special is that it has an orbital period of almost exactly one year. This fact has led some scientists to speculate that 2010 AL30 could be a man made object and not an asteroid. After all, there's a lot of space junk up there, there's every possibility that it could be a spent rocket booster or some other spacecraft artifact. But it could just be coincidence that the NEO has the same orbital period as Earth and that it's just another asteroid.

Hubble captures picture of asteroid collision!

Last week, the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) sky survey program, designed to sweep the heavens looking for near-Earth asteroids, spotted something really weird; an elongated streak that looked as if two asteroids had collided. Just days later, Hubble was pointed at the object, and what it saw was really really weird:

Hubble Spots Possible Asteroid Collision

NASA says its Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust suggesting a collision of two asteroids.

Hubble Spots Possible Asteroid Collision

NASA says its Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust suggesting a collision of two asteroids.

Hubble spots possible asteroid collision

NASA says its Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust suggesting a collision of two asteroids.

Hubble spots possible asteroid collision

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- NASA says its Hubble Space Telescope has observed a mysterious X-shaped debris pattern and trailing streamers of dust suggesting a collision of two asteroids.

Asteroid Headed For Earth; Extraterrestrial Warned Us

If you're a perennial, SoCal, top-down kind of driver, you might want to plan to go hard-top for this one: NASA confirmed last fall that a good-sized asteroid, called Apophis, is on a collision course with our kind planet, with an impact date of sometime in 2036. It's enough of a concern that the Russians recently suggested inviting the Chinese and the Americans to collude on a way to blast the thing.

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