Find the source of the centaurs

The US Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) said its spacecraft had deciphered the long-standing mystery of small bodies orbiting the sun, between Jupiter and Neptune.

The true identities of these objects, known as 'centaurs' , are one of the hard-to-solve mysteries of celestial physics.

Previously, astronomers still used to decide whether they were asteroids or comets, according to Space.com.

Picture 1 of Find the source of the centaurs
NASA finally found the source of the "centaurs" - (Photo: NASA)

Asteroids refer to celestial bodies thrown away from the near-sun region, while comets from far away move into the center.

That's why they are called centaurs, creatures in Greek mythology, with heads and hands, and their bodies and legs are horses.

New observations of the Explorer The NASA wide field survey, or WISE, has discovered that most 'centaurs' are comets.

'Like mythical creatures in mythology, centaur objects seem to have double lives. Our data shows that most are of comet origin, suggesting they originated outside the solar system , 'said James Bauer of NASA's Dynamics Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

The color of many centaurs is also a clue that reveals their structure. Dark comets, like a pot of ice-covered surfaces, while asteroids are usually as bright as the moon's case.

The results show that up to two-thirds of the "centaur" community is comet.