JPL News: Centaurs' Origins Revealed with WISE Data

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Centaurs, celestial bodies located between Jupiter and Neptune, have been challenging to classify, but recent data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) indicates they are primarily cometary in origin. The term "Centaurs" is derived from mythology, reflecting their dual characteristics as both asteroids and comets. This new classification enhances the understanding of their formation and behavior in the solar system. The findings are detailed in a recent paper linked in the discussion. Overall, the research sheds light on the complex nature of these intriguing objects.
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JPL news:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2013-234
Paper:
http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/773/1/22/


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Centaurs are smaller bodies orbiting out between Jupiter and Neptune, that have been difficult to classify. NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has provided data to show that centaurs are almost all cometary in origin.

Centaurs are named after the half-man half-horse of mythology because of their apparent dual nature: asteroids that have characteristics of comets.
 
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Jim,
Thanks for the post and links

never heard of the Centaurs before, learn something new every day :)

Dave
 

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