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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

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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

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