Main-Belt Comets
Bodies with asteroid-like orbits inside the main asteroid belt that display recurring, comet-like activity.
Overview
Objects that orbit within the asteroid belt yet develop tails or comae — a blurring of the traditional line between asteroids and comets, and a possible reservoir of water.
Members
1 modelled member.
- 7968 Elst–Pizarro(7968)
The prototype main-belt comet — an object on an ordinary asteroid-belt orbit that repeatedly develops a comet-like tail, carrying both an asteroid number and a comet designation.
TypeTransition objectDiscovered1996
Knowledge connections
- Group includes7968 Elst–Pizarro
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.