The Tail on This Bizarre, Comet-Like Asteroid Isn't Quite What Anybody Expected : ScienceAlert

Every orbit, as it approaches the Sun and heats up, 3200 Phaethon grows a comet-like tail of material, which streams away in a pale fog.

Phaethon's tail was thought to consist of tiny grains of dust , but new observations reveal that's not the case. Rather, the asteroid belches out sodium gas – just like the planet Mercury , but smaller.

logo
Publisher: ScienceAlert
Date: 2023-04-27T07:25:48 00:00
Author: Michelle Starr
Twitter: @ScienceAlert
Reference: (Read more) Visit Source



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What Is ISRO's Mission TRISHNA? Here's All About The Revolutionary Climate Change Monitor...

Musk's SpaceX One Step Closer To Creating Texas City: What To Know About 'Starbase'

REASON GONE MAD: Planets, planets, everywhere! - The Berkshire Edge