X marks the spot of a head-on collision between two space objects in this Hubble Space Telescope (HST) image.
Collisions in the Asteroid Belt
Studies have found that hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of rocky bodies reside within the asteroid belt. It seemed a certainty that collisions occur between these bodies, grinding down the planetesimals into the shapes we see today. But until recently, none of these collisions had ever been captured.
In January 2010, scientists spotted a strange X-shaped object in the asteroid belt. Analysis has revealed that this unique object is most likely from a head-on collision between two asteroids. The object has been named P/2010 A2.
The Object's Strange Comet-Like Appearance
The core of the object, approximately 140 meters in diameter, does not lie at the center of the cloud of material like a comet would. Also, unlike a comet, the tail of material is made of a lumpy mess of dust and gravel, in contrast to a comet's smooth filaments. So while the object has a vague resemblance to a comet, closer examination shows that it is unlikely to be a comet.
The Flora Family of Asteroids
P/2010 A2 is likely to be the remains of two asteroids that have crashed into each other in the crowded asteroid belt. In fact, the orbit of P/2010 A2 is consistent with asteroids in the Flora family. The Flora family is a subset of asteroids in the asteroid belt that were produced by collisional shattering a few hundred million years ago. The Flora family of asteroids is also blamed as being the source of the asteroid that struck Earth 65 million years ago, which led to the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs.
X Marks the Spot
The odd X shape was first seen by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) sky survey on January 6. The unusual finding led scientists to train Hubble on the object. The image seen here was taken January 29 by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The objects that struck each other were estimated to be zipping through space at approximately five kilometers a second. The filaments that trail behind the collision site are made of the debris that is being swept back by radiation pressure from sunlight.
The image was taken when the object was about 180 million miles from the Sun and 90 million miles from Earth. The picture was taken in visible light but the bluish color was added to enhance the image and make the details easier to see.
Source: NASA and STScI
Kelly Whitt - I have been a professional writer for more than a decade, covering many topics from science-based articles to do-it-yourself home ...
