Several remarkable asteroids exhibit “activity,” displaying comet-like tails or enveloping gas and dust.

NASA’s Active Asteroids project recently unveiled the discovery of such activity on 15 asteroids, challenging established notions about the solar system.

The identification of these 15 rare objects involved the collaborative efforts of over 8,000 volunteers who meticulously examined 430,000 images captured by the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) mounted on the Victor M. Blanco telescope in Chile.

Notably, a paper detailing these findings, now published in The Astronomical Journal, lists nine volunteers among its co-authors, underscoring the significance of citizen science in contemporary astronomy.

The study of these exceptional active asteroids offers valuable insights into the formation and evolution of the solar system, shedding light on the origins of water on Earth, Phys.org reported.

Moreover, these objects hold potential significance for future space exploration endeavors, as the same ices responsible for generating comet-like tails could serve as propellants for rockets or as a source of breathable air.

Written by B.C. Begley