Numbered Minor Planets That Are Also Comets
| Name | Cometary name | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2060 Chiron | 95P/Chiron | Discovered in 1977 as the first centaur, later found to display cometary behavior (including a coma) |
| 4015 Wilson–Harrington | 107P/Wilson–Harrington | In 1992, it was realized that asteroid 1979 VA's orbit matched it with the positions of the lost comet Wilson-Harrington (1949 III) |
| 7968 Elst–Pizarro | 133P/Elst–Pizarro | Discovered in 1996 as a comet, but orbitally matched to asteroid 1979 OW7 |
| 60558 Echeclus | 174P/Echeclus | Second centaur found to have a coma |
| 118401 LINEAR | 176P/LINEAR (LINEAR 52) | Main-belt comet-asteroid discovered to have a coma on November 26, 2005 |
Note there are quite a few other cases where a non-numbered asteroid with only a systematic designation (such as 2001 OG108) turned out to be a comet (in this case C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS)). The above table lists only numbered asteroids that are also comets.
Read more about this topic: List Of Notable Asteroids
Famous quotes containing the words minor, planets and/or comets:
“A certain minor light may still
Leap incandescent
Out of kitchen table or chair
As if a celestial burning took
Possession of the most obtuse objects now and then—”
—Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)
“Why are all these dolls falling out of the sky?
Was there a father?
Or have the planets cut holes in their nets
and let our childhood out,
or are we the dolls themselves,
born but never fed?”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“The novel is not “a crazy quilt of bits”; it is a logical sequence of psychological events: the movements of stars may seem crazy to the simpleton, but wise men know the comets come back.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)