Cometary Activity Discovered on a Distant Centaur: A Nonaqueous Sublimation Mechanism

Chandler, Colin Orion; Kueny, Jay K.; Trujillo, C. A.; Trilling, David E.; Oldroyd, William J.

doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab7dc6

Cited by 25 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…We prepared thumbnail images (e.g., Figure 1(a)) for examination by volunteers of our NASA Partner Citizen Science project Active Asteroids, hosted on the Zooniverse 2 online Citizen Science platform. First we extract thumbnail images from publicly available precalibrated Dark Energy Camera (DECam) archival images using a pipeline, Hunting for Activity in Repositories with Vetting-Enhanced Search Techniques (HARVEST), first described in Chandler et al (2018) and expanded upon in Chandler et al (2019Chandler et al ( , 2020Chandler et al ( , 2021. Each 126″ × 126″ thumbnail image shows one known minor planet at the center of the frame.…”

Section: Citizen Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Chandler

Oldroyd

Trujillo

2022

ApJL

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We report that object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80 is undergoing a sustained activity outburst, lasting over 15 months thus far. These findings stem in part from our NASA Partner Citizen Science project Active Asteroids (http://activeasteroids.net), which we introduce here. We acquired new observations of 282P via our observing campaign (Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT), and the Gemini South telescope), confirming 282P was active on UT 2022 June 7, some 15 months after 2021 March images showed activity in the 2021–2022 epoch. We classify 282P as a member of the quasi-Hilda objects (QHOs), a group of dynamically unstable objects found in an orbital region similar to, but distinct in their dynamical characteristics to, the Hilda asteroids (objects in 3:2 resonance with Jupiter). Our dynamical simulations show 282P has undergone at least five close encounters with Jupiter and one with Saturn over the last 180 yr. 282P was most likely a Centaur or Jupiter-family comet (JFC) 250 yr ago. In 350 yr, following some 15 strong Jovian interactions, 282P will most likely migrate to become a JFC or, less likely, an outer main-belt asteroid orbit. These migrations highlight a dynamical pathway connecting Centaurs and JFCs with quasi-Hildas and, potentially, active asteroids. Synthesizing these results with our thermodynamical modeling and new activity observations, we find volatile sublimation is the primary activity mechanism. Observations of a quiescent 282P, which we anticipate will be possible in 2023, will help confirm our hypothesis by measuring a rotation period and ascertaining the spectral type.

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Section: Citizen Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Chandler

Oldroyd

Trujillo

2022

ApJL

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“…In order to find an additional activity epoch for (248370) 2005 QN 173 , we searched, assessed, and analyzed publicly available archival image data, building upon the methods of Chandler et al (2018Chandler et al ( , 2019Chandler et al ( , 2020.…”

Section: Second Activity Epochmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We made use of solar system object thumbnails (small image cutouts like Figure 1) derived from publicly available archival data. We previously demonstrated how our data sources, such as the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), are well suited to discovering and characterizing active objects (Chandler et al 2018(Chandler et al , 2019(Chandler et al , 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recurrent Activity from Active Asteroid (248370) 2005 QN173: A Main-Belt Comet

Chandler,

Trujillo,

Hsieh

2021

Preprint

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We present archival observations of main-belt asteroid (248370) 2005 QN 173 (also designated 433P) that demonstrate this recently discovered active asteroid (a body with a dynamically asteroidal orbit displaying a tail or coma) has had at least one additional apparition of activity near perihelion during a prior orbit. We discovered evidence of this second activity epoch in an image captured 2016 July 22 with the DECam on the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. As of this writing, (248370) 2005 QN 173 is just the 8th active asteroid demonstrated to undergo recurrent activity near perihelion. Our analyses demonstrate (248370) 2005 QN 173 is likely a member of the active asteroid subset known as main-belt comets, a group of objects that orbit in the main asteroid belt that exhibit activity that is specifically driven by sublimation. We implement an activity detection technique, wedge photometry, that has the potential to detect tails in images of solar system objects and quantify their agreement with computed antisolar and antimotion vectors normally associated with observed tail directions. We present a catalog and an image gallery of archival observations. The object will soon become unobservable as it passes behind the Sun as seen from Earth, and when it again becomes visible (late 2022) it will be farther than 3 au from the Sun. Our findings suggest (248370) 2005 QN 173 is most active interior to 2.7 au (0.3 au from perihelion), so we encourage the community to observe and study this special object before 2021 December.

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“…Centaurs go around the Sun following unstable paths between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune (see for example Di Sisto & Brunini 2007;Chandler et al 2020). While only a small fraction of the known centaurs have been found to exhibit cometary activity in the form of moderately intense eruptions, one object has managed to remain continuously active since its discovery nearly a century ago, experiencing semi-regular and comparatively very bright outbursts (see for example Jewitt 2009;Guilbert-Lepoutre 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The active centaur 2020 MK₄

Marcos

Licandro

et al. 2021

A&A

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Context. Centaurs go around the Sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. Only a fraction of the known centaurs have been found to display comet-like features. Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 is the most remarkable active centaur. It orbits the Sun just beyond Jupiter in a nearly circular path. Only a handful of known objects follow similar trajectories. Aims. We present photometric observations of 2020 MK4, a recently found centaur with an orbit not too different from that of 29P, and we perform a preliminary exploration of its dynamical evolution. Methods. We analyzed broadband Cousins R and Sloan g′, r′, and i′ images of 2020 MK4 acquired with the Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope and the IAC80 telescope to search for cometary-like activity and to derive its surface colors and size. Its orbital evolution was studied using direct N-body simulations. Results. Centaur 2020 MK4 is neutral-gray in color and has a faint, compact cometary-like coma. The values of its color indexes, (g′− r′) = 0.42 ± 0.04 and (r′− i′) = 0.17 ± 0.04, are similar to the solar ones. A lower limit for the absolute magnitude of the nucleus is Hg = 11.30 ± 0.03 mag which, for an albedo in the range of 0.1–0.04, gives an upper limit for its size in the interval (23, 37) km. Its orbital evolution is very chaotic and 2020 MK4 may be ejected from the Solar System during the next 200 kyr. Comet 29P experienced relatively close flybys with 2020 MK4 in the past, sometimes when they were temporary Jovian satellites. Conclusions. Based on the analysis of visible CCD images of 2020 MK4, we confirm the presence of a coma of material around a central nucleus. Its surface colors place this centaur among the most extreme members of the gray group. Although the past, present, and future dynamical evolution of 2020 MK4 resembles that of 29P, more data are required to confirm or reject a possible connection between the two objects and perhaps others.

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Cometary Activity Discovered on a Distant Centaur: A Nonaqueous Sublimation Mechanism

Cited by 25 publications

References 35 publications

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Recurrent Activity from Active Asteroid (248370) 2005 QN173: A Main-Belt Comet

The active centaur 2020 MK₄

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Cometary Activity Discovered on a Distant Centaur: A Nonaqueous Sublimation Mechanism

Cited by 25 publications

References 35 publications

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Migratory Outbursting Quasi-Hilda Object 282P/(323137) 2003 BM80* **

Recurrent Activity from Active Asteroid (248370) 2005 QN173: A Main-Belt Comet

The active centaur 2020 MK4

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

The active centaur 2020 MK₄