Produced by: Manoj Kumar
NASA’s latest research reveals a new class of celestial objects, “dark comets,” that defy traditional definitions, blending characteristics of both comets and asteroids.
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A recent study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identified seven additional dark comets, doubling their known number to 14 and reshaping our understanding of the solar system.
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Dark comets lack the iconic comet tail but exhibit non-gravitational acceleration caused by volatile material outgassing from their surfaces, altering their trajectories in space.
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The mysterious dark comet 2003 RM, discovered in 2022, displayed peculiar orbit deviations without showing any comet-like tail, challenging astronomers to rethink established categories.
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The concept of dark comets gained momentum after the 2017 discovery of interstellar object ‘Oumuamua, which exhibited similar unexplained acceleration patterns in its orbit.
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Scientists have classified dark comets into two groups: larger “outer” dark comets with eccentric orbits, and smaller “inner” dark comets, which follow nearly circular trajectories near the planets.
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Darryl Seligman suggests dark comets could be key to understanding the origins of life, possibly delivering water and organic molecules that were essential for Earth’s development.
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Questions about dark comets’ origins linger: Are they remnants of the early solar system or visitors from interstellar space? Their unique traits continue to puzzle astronomers.
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NASA researchers believe these enigmatic objects could hold valuable insights into the building blocks of life and are planning further investigations to unravel their mysteries.
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