Related papers: Dust loss from activated asteroid P/2015 X6
In this study, the dust loss of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is investigated through the analysis of archival images. By measuring the surface brightness profile of the coma, we determined that the comet maintained nearly in a steady…
Hubble Space Telescope observations of main-belt comet P/2013 P5 reveal an extraordinary system of six dust tails that distinguish this object from any other. Observations two weeks apart show dramatic morphological change in the tails…
We present space-based thermal infrared observations of the presumably Geminid-associated asteroids: (3200)Phaethon, 2005 UD and 1999 YC using WISE/NEOWISE. The images were taken at the four wavelength bands…
We describe active asteroid 331P/Gibbs (2012 F5) using archival Hubble Space Telescope data taken between 2015 and 2018. 331P is an outer main-belt active asteroid with a long-lived debris trail that formed in 2011. Embedded in the debris…
Images and low-resolution spectra of the near-Earth Jupiter family comet (JFC) 249P/LINEAR in the visible range obtained with the instrument OSIRIS in the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias on January 3, 4, 6 and February 6, 2016 are presented,…
The ESA Rosetta spacecraft, currently orbiting around comet 67P, has already provided in situ measurements of the dust grain properties from several instruments, particularly OSIRIS and GIADA. We propose adding value to those measurements…
We present a characterization of the dust environment of long-period comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) by analyzing an extensive dataset, including dust tail images and photometric measurements, from 10 au pre-perihelion to 1.6 au…
We observed asteroid (596) Scheila and its ejecta cloud using the Swift UV-optical telescope. We obtained photometry of the nucleus and the ejecta, and for the first time measured the asteroid's reflection spectrum between 290 - 500 nm. Our…
Some asteroids eject dust, unexpectedly producing transient, comet-like comae and tails. First ascribed to the sublimation of near-surface water ice, mass losing asteroids (also called "main-belt comets") can in fact be driven by a…
The recent ALMA observations of the disc surrounding HL Tau reveal a very complex dust spatial distribution. We present a radiative transfer model accounting for the observed gaps and bright rings as well as radial changes of the emissivity…
Quasi-Hilda asteroid P/2010 H2 (Vales) underwent a spectacular photometric outburst by 7.5 magnitudes (factor of 1000) in 2010. Here, we present our optical observations of this event in the four month period from April 20 to August 10. The…
Many asteroids show indications they have undergone impacts with meteoroid particles having radii between 0.01 m and 1 m. During such impacts, small dust grains will be ejected at the impact site. The possibility of these dust grains (with…
Active asteroid (6478) Gault sheds mass independent of location along its orbit. Rotational instability is considered to induce the observed activities. If this is the case, because Gaults breakup event has not been detected, surface…
We present a study of the active asteroid (3200) Phaethon in the 2016 apparition using the STEREO spacecraft and compare the results with data from the previous two perihelia in 2009 and 2012. Once again, Phaethon brightened by $\sim$2 mag…
We report the discovery of a comet-like tail on asteroid (3200) Phaethon when imaged at optical wavelengths near perihelion. In both 2009 and 2012, the tail appears >=350" (2.5x10^8 m) in length and extends approximately in the projected…
On 2019 January 5 a streamer associated with the 4--10 km main-belt asteroid (6478)~Gault was detected by the ATLAS sky survey, a rare discovery of activity around a main-belt asteroid. Archival data from ATLAS and Pan-STARRS1 show the…
Main-belt asteroid (6478) Gault was observed to show cometary features in early 2019. To investigate the cause, we conducted {\it BVR} observations at Xingming Observatory, China, from 2019 January to April. The two tails were formed around…
We report on the catastrophic disintegration of P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS), an active asteroid, in April 2016. Deep images over three months show that object is constituted by a central concentration of fragments surrounded by an elongated coma,…
Near-Earth asteroid 2014 AA entered the Earth's atmosphere on 2014 January 2, only 21 hours after being discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey. In this paper we compute the trajectory of 2014 AA by combining the available optical astrometry,…
Near-Earth asteroid (3200) Phaethon is notable for its association to a strong annual meteor shower, the Geminids, indicative of one or more episodes of mass ejection in the past. The mechanism of Phaethon's past activity is not yet…