Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-09T22:29:46.152Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Impact-Induced Activity of The Asteroid-Comet P/1996N2 Elst-Pizarro: Yes or No?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

H. Boehnhardt ,
Z. Sekanina ,
A. Fiedler ,
H. Rauer ,
R. Schulz  and
G. Tozzi
H. Boehnhardt
Affiliation:
University Observatory Scheinerstr. 1, D-81679 München, Germany European Southern Observatory Alonso de Cordova 3107, Santiago, Chile
Z. Sekanina
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory California Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
A. Fiedler
Affiliation:
University Observatory Scheinerstr. 1, D-81679 München, Germany
H. Rauer
Affiliation:
DLR, Institute for Planetary Exploration Rudower Chaussee 5, D-12484 Berlin, Germany
R. Schulz
Affiliation:
European Space Agency Keplerlaan 1, NL-2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands
G. Tozzi
Affiliation:
Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri Largo E. Fermi 5, 1-50125 Firenze, Italy

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

P/1996 N2 Elst-Pizarro was discovered with a tail of dust in July 1996 and was thus classified as periodic comet. From the orbit point of view it belongs to the outer asteroid belt and is very likely a member of the Themis family, a group of bodies originating from an asteroid collision.

The absence of a coma and the presence of the needle-like anti-tail in August 1996 did not exclude the possibility of a sudden emission event which could have been caused by the impact of another minor body on the object. However, with the development of a normal tail between September and November 1996 it became obvious that the dust emission episode continued at least for 2 months after perihelion, a scenario that is typical for gas-driven cometary activity. However, it is still possible that a collision triggered the event.

The paper summarizes the observational pro and cons for impact-induced activity in this object, possibly the first ever detected comet-asteroid of the solar system.

Type
II. Joint Discussions
Information
Highlights of Astronomy , Volume 11 , Issue 1: Highlights of Astronomy. As presented at the XXIIIrd General Assembly of the IAU (Part A), 1997 , 1998 , pp. 233 - 236
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1998

References

Balam, D. (1996) Asteroid or Comet?, Sky and Telescope 92, p. 10 Google Scholar
Bell, J.F., Davis, D.R., Hartmann, W.K., Gaffey, M.J. (1989) Asteroids: The Big Picture, Asteroids II (eds. Binzel, R.P., Gehrels, T., Matthews, M. Shapley), Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 921–945 Google Scholar
Boehnhardt, H. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAV Circular 6473 Google Scholar
Boehnhardt, H., Schulz, R., Tozzi, G., Sekanina, Z. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6495 Google Scholar
Chapman, C.R., Paolicchi, P., Zappala, V., Binzel, R.P., Bell, J.F. (1989) Asteroid Families: Physical Properties and Evolution, Asteroids II (eds. Binzel, R.P., Gehrels, T., Matthews, M. Shapley), Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 386–415 Google Scholar
Eist, E., Pizarro, G. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6456 Google Scholar
Gradie, J.C., Chapman, C.R., Williams, J.G. (1979) Families of Minor Planets, Asteroids (ed. Gehrels, T.), Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 359–390 Google Scholar
Kresák, L. (1971) Orbital Selection Effects in the Palomar-Leiden Asteroid Survey, Physical Studies of Minor Planets (ed. Gehrels, T.), NASA SP-267, Washington DC, pp. 197–210 Google Scholar
Marsden, B.G. (1996a) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6456 Google Scholar
Marsden, B.G. (1996b) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6457 Google Scholar
Marsden, B.G. (1996c) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), Minor Planet Electronic Circular 1996-R07Google Scholar
McFadden, L.A. (1994) The Comet-Asteroid Transition: Recent Telescopic Observations, Asteroid, Comets, Meteors 1993 (eds. Milani, A., Martino, M. Di, mCellino, A.), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, pp. 95–110 Google Scholar
McNaught, R.H., Hawkins, M.R.S. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6473 Google Scholar
Offut, W. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6456 Google Scholar
Pravec, P. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6459 Google Scholar
Sekanina, Z. (1996) Comet P/1996 N2 (Elst-Pizarro), IAU Circular 6459 Google Scholar