NASA scientists are grappling with puzzling celestial bodies that defy existing classifications. These objects, dubbed “dark comets,” resemble asteroids, but exhibit behavior typically associated with comets. Their discovery raises intriguing questions about their origins and the forces driving their motion.
By Joseph Gutierrez
Asteroid in Appearance, Comet in Behavior
Dark comets appear as mere points of light without the characteristic tails associated with traditional comets. At first glance, they resemble ordinary asteroids. However, their orbits and acceleration patterns suggest comet-like activity. Typically, comets accelerate due to volatile substances on their surface or escaping gases, which alter their trajectories. Yet, in the case of dark comets, the cause of these changes remains unexplained.
A New Celestial Category
The inability to fully classify these bodies led NASA to establish a new category: dark comets. Unlike interstellar visitors such as the famed Oumuamua, dark comets are entirely contained within our solar system. This new classification has sparked debates and research into their origins and behavior. Questions arise: Do they harbor hidden ice? What causes their unusual acceleration? Could they provide insights into the dynamics of our solar system?
Potential Hydrogen Propulsion
Research into Oumuamua, conducted by the University of California, Berkeley, offers one possible explanation. Scientists hypothesize that outgassing hydrogen, produced as the object is heated while traversing the interstellar medium, might explain its anomalous acceleration. A similar mechanism could potentially apply to some dark comets, though more research is needed to confirm this theory.
Two Types of Dark Comets
According to a study at Michigan State University, dark comets can be divided into two groups: outer and inner. Outer dark comets are larger, often exceeding 100 meters in diameter, with elliptical orbits around the Sun near Jupiter. Inner dark comets are smaller, typically a few dozen meters wide, and have circular orbits within the region of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. These distinctions further complicate efforts to understand their nature and behavior.
The discovery of dark comets challenges existing classifications and highlights the complexity of celestial phenomena. Their unexplained acceleration and unique characteristics open new avenues for research into the dynamics of our solar system. Continued study of these mysterious objects could provide valuable insights into the forces shaping both familiar and uncharted regions of space.
Based on content from futurezone.at and own research.