Comet class

Main-Belt Comets

Bodies with asteroid-like orbits inside the main asteroid belt that display recurring, comet-like activity.

Comet class

Overview

Objects that orbit within the asteroid belt yet develop tails or comae — a blurring of the traditional line between asteroids and comets, and a possible reservoir of water.

Members

1 modelled member.

7968 Elst–Pizarro(7968)
The prototype main-belt comet — an object on an ordinary asteroid-belt orbit that repeatedly develops a comet-like tail, carrying both an asteroid number and a comet designation.
TypeTransition objectDiscovered1996

Knowledge connections

Group includes7968 Elst–Pizarro

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

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