Scientists around the world are focused on the latest scientific developments related to the asteroid Phaeton, which has kept the astronomical community in awe for more than a decade with its unique behavior as it approaches the Sun.
Writes about this “Space”.
Scientists who published their findings in the journal Nature Astronomy have presented a new hypothesis regarding the origin of the tail that forms on an asteroid as it approaches our star. In their opinion, this cosmic body belongs to a rare class of asteroids – carbonaceous chondrites of the CY group.
Unlike other asteroids, Phaethon produces a tail not of ice and carbon dioxide, like comets, but of dust particles caused by heating of the surface during its approach to the Sun. The asteroid’s unique chemical composition, including olivine, carbonates, iron sulfide and oxide minerals, suggests that surface temperatures during its close pass to the Sun could reach 800 degrees Celsius.
“The pressure of the gas released when the asteroid heats up can cause the rock to fracture, producing dust particles that in turn form the asteroid’s tail,” the scientists note.
This discovery raises new questions about the origin of CY group asteroids and their role in the evolution of the Solar System. Astronomers say these rare space rocks may hold the key to understanding the processes that took place at the very beginning of our star system more than 4 billion years ago.
This discovery marks a new era in the study of asteroids and their influence on the formation of planetary systems. Asteroid Phaeton seems to be turning from a mysterious object into a key witness to the mysterious moments of the birth of our cosmic homeland.
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