SPACE — For some time, an asteroid named Phaethon has puzzled astronomers. When it passes closest to the Sun during its orbit, a long tail of material can be seen accompanying the five kilometer wide rock.
Scientists cannot explain why the tail only appears when Phaethon is closer to the sun. If Phaethon’s tail is a common object in ice and carbon dioxide comets, then it would be visible when it is very far from the Sun. But apparently not.
Because of this, scientists have a number of theories about the material that formed Phaethon, which could explain what was seen behind when the asteroid passed the Sun. In new research, astronomers have compared Phaethon’s infrared emissions analyzed by NASA’s Spitzer space telescope with those of meteorites in the laboratory.
They found that Phaethon most likely belongs to a class of rare meteorites, of which only six specimens are known. Phaethon’s emission spectrum corresponds to a type of meteorite called a CY carbonaceous chondrite. They are different from well-known asteroids such as Ryugu which is a CI meteorite and Bennu which is CM.
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These three classes of meteorites are believed to originate from the process of forming the solar system. All show signs of chemical processes in which water combines with other molecules to form phyllosilicate and carbonate materials.
However, only the CY group appeared to show signs of drying and decay due to heating. It also shows a high iron sulfide content, indicating its unique origin.
Analysis of Phaethon’s emission spectrum revealed olivine, carbonate, iron sulfide and oxide minerals that all support the space rock’s relationship to a CY class asteroid. Carbonates in asteroids show changes in water and olivine content consistent with thermal decomposition of phyllosilicate at high temperatures.
The researchers showed with thermal modeling how temperature, such as the temperature when it passes through the Sun, can affect the minerals in asteroids that release gas. As the asteroid gets closer to the sun, its surface temperature can increase to 800 degrees C. According to the research team, that temperature is hot enough for the object’s carbonates to produce carbon dioxide, phyllosilicate to release water vapor, and sulfur gas sulfides.
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The researchers also combined Phaethon’s new thermal model with asteroid data from other studies. Researchers believe that the pressure from the gas released by the hot asteroid could cause the rock to break down and produce small dust particles lifted from its surface. Possibly, this explains Phaethon’s tail as it passes the sun.
“It was exciting to see how each of the minerals found seemed to fall into place, and also shed light on the behavior of the asteroid,” said study co-author Mikael Granvik of the University of Helsinki, in a press release. The research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy in November 2023. Source: Space.com
2023-11-30 20:22:00
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