Asteroid-comet chimera Chiron has an unusual ice mix, James Webb Space Telescope finds
Chiron's unique ice mix discovered by the James Webb Telescope reveals solar system secrets.
The James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled striking details about the centaur known as 2060 Chiron. Chiron, orbiting between Jupiter and Neptune, boasts a unique combination of surface ices and gases in its coma. The telescope's discoveries, spearheaded by Charles Schambeau and Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, identified carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane ice and gases around Chiron. This odd mix and the peculiar transformations these substances undergo due to solar heating differentiate it from other centaurs.
As Chiron approaches the Sun, sublimation occurs, just as it would on a comet, unveiling a gaseous halo or coma. The solar heat spurs chemical reactions, generating complex organics like acetylene and ethane, providing crucial clues about solar system formation. Chiron's orbit takes it as far as 18.87 astronomical units from the Sun, and within 8.5 astronomical units at its closest point, offering a chance to study its evolving nature over time.
Active centaurs like Chiron hold the key to understanding transformations within frozen bodies early formed in the solar system. Over millions of years, gravitational forces from Jupiter could change Chiron's fate, bouncing it back to the Kuiper Belt or turning it into a comet. Scientists seek to learn about the make-up of such celestial bodies, their origin, and their journeys throughout the solar system.