Citizen scientists help astronomers spot rare Solar System objects

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Citizen scientists, collaborating with professional planetary scientists, have made groundbreaking discoveries. These include identifying new members of a rare population of Solar System objects that exhibit asteroid-like orbits but display comet-like features. The project's success demonstrates the power of citizen science in uncovering active small bodies within our Solar System.

Images of the small Solar System bodies identified by the Active Asteroid programme. (Image Credit: H Hsieh/PSI).

Key Highlights

Citizen scientists from diverse backgrounds contribute to the project, emphasizing the collective effort in scientific discovery.
The identified active asteroids challenge conventional wisdom, blurring the lines between asteroids and comets.
These active asteroids may provide crucial resources for future deep space missions.

New Delhi: Active asteroids are small objects in the Solar System, that have orbits similar to asteroids, but appearances similar to comets. These asteroids can become active, or start outgassing and bear cometary tails when they get too close to the Sun. Comets are usually found in the outer Solar System, while asteroids primarily occupy the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

A NASA supported programme called the Active Asteroids initiative has involved volunteers from around the world to assist in the search for active asteroids. Apart from cometary tails, these active asteroids can also sport hazy clouds around their comae, which are the core regions. Investigating these objects is crucial for advancing the understanding of the formation and evolution of the Solar System, including the origin of water on Earth.

Active asteroids are also attractive targets for future deep space missions as they can be mined for resources such as drinking water, breathing oxygen and rocket fuel. Researchers associated with the programme have documented previously unknown activity from asteroids. At times, the scientists and citizen scientists stumble upon comets instead of asteroids, which is a happy mistake.

Many more discoveries awaited

A paper describing the findings has been published in The Astronomical Journal. Coauthor of the paper, Henry Hsieh says, "We have successfully demonstrated the power of citizen science as an approach to finding active small bodies in our Solar System. Based on the early results published in this paper, we are confident that we should be able to discover many more active small bodies in this way. This should greatly advance our understanding of comet-like objects in our Solar System and learn more about related topics like the amount and distribution of ice in the present-day Solar System, and how other activity-producing processes like impacts and rotational disruption operate."

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