Paul M. Sutter is a research professor in astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook University and the Flatiron Institute in New York City. He regularly appears on TV and podcasts, including 'Ask a Spaceman.' He is the author of two books, 'Your Place in the Universe' and 'How to Die in Space,' and is a regular contributor to Space.
Mysterious, nearly invisible objects known as"dark comets" may pose a bigger threat to Earth than scientists thought, new research suggests.
Asteroids, on the other hand, typically live in the inner solar system, usually between Mars and Jupiter. They are much rockier than their cometary cousins and, therefore, can survive much longer in the glare of the sun. But they, too, occasionally tumble into unstable orbits that bring them dangerously close to Earth.
All small objects in the solar system, including asteroids, have some amount of nongravitational acceleration, but astronomers can usually identify the cause. For example, asteroids are unevenly heated by the sun, which causes a tiny-but-measurable shift in their orbits. The researchers discovered that the nongravitational acceleration of dark comets is not compatible with uneven heating, so there must be another source of acceleration. The team thinks the dark comets are indeed outgassing, which can cause its own nongravitational acceleration, just at an undetectable level.
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