Comets 'disguised' meteorite scientists confused

In early May, astronomers announced the discovery of something they could not believe - an entirely new meteorite with a tail.

But with recent research, scientists claim their initial assertion is incorrect. This object is actually a camouflaged comet.

Image of comet P / 2019 LD2. (Photo: ATLAS / University of Hawai).

In fact, comets and meteorites are two completely different categories, clearly delineated.

Comets have long orbits, composed mostly of ice. As it moves closer to the Sun, the stream of dust and gas that comets release creates its own unique tail. While meteorites are mostly composed of earth, rocks orbit in the Solar System similar to the planets.

However, LD2 2019 seems to challenge this definition.

It has an asteroid-like orbit but has a comet-like tail. This is very rare. Astronomers believe LD2 2019 is a regular comet with a chaotic orbit. Its characteristics are quite similar to Trojan asteroids - a group of asteroids that operate in the same cycle on most orbits like Jupiter.

After being identified as a comet, LD2 2019 was renamed P / 2019 LD2. P / 2019 LD2 is now confirmed to be a member of the Jupiter family comet or JFC - a group of objects influenced by Jupiter .

Although scientists are a little disappointed that this real object is not a special meteorite, it is still a wonderful discovery to the universe.