Odd Body in Asteroid Belt with 6 Tails

[Dotini]

http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-sees-asteroid-spouting-six-comet-like-tails/#.UnvGoHemYRc
Hubble photos

http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/november/nasas-hubble-sees-asteroid-spouting-six-comet-like-tails/
NASA press release

 

[davenn]

cool

the term "Active Asteroid' is a new one for me.
Never heard of or seen as asteroid with a tail before

Dave

 

[Chronos]

I suspect it was involved in a 'recent' collision.

 

[Dotini]

My friend Harvey says it looks like someone's been using it for target practice!

Other reports have it that it's a confused comet. Certainly, it is an exciting new wonder of nature.

Observers are trying to learn if it is spinning, breaking up, or if there are more of them.

Not long ago, Hubble spotted a peculiar X-shaped object, thought to be the result of a collision, although alternative ideas are not ruled out.
http://www.spacetelescope.org/news/heic1016/

 

[Dotini]

http://hubblesite.org/pubinfo/pdf/2013/52/pdf.pdf
Here is the paper on P/2013 P5 from Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The authors hypothesize the body is showing rotational mass shedding, presumably due to torques imposed from solar radiation.