Abstract We present the discovery of activity emanating from main-belt asteroid 2015 FW412, a finding stemming from the Citizen Science projectActive Asteroids, a NASA Partner program. We identified a pronounced tail originating from 2015 FW412and oriented in the anti-motion direction in archival Blanco 4 m (Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile) Dark Energy Camera images from UT 2015 April 13, 18, 19, 21 and 22. Activity occurred near perihelion, consistent with the main-belt comets (MBCs), an active asteroid subset known for sublimation-driven activity in the main asteroid belt; thus 2015 FW412is a candidate MBC. We did not detect activity on UT 2021 December 12 using the Inamori-Magellan Areal Camera and Spectrograph on the 6.5 m Baade telescope, when 2015 FW412was near aphelion.
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New Active Asteroid (588045) 2007 FZ18
Abstract We present evidence that, on UT 2018 February 15, main-belt asteroid (588045) 2007 FZ18displayed cometary activity in the form of two tails, one each in the anti-solar and anti-motion directions. Activity was first identified by volunteers of the NASA Partner program Active Asteroids, a Citizen Science program hosted on the Zooniverse platform, in an image acquired with the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. Notably, (588045) 2007 FZ18is inbound toward perihelion, so telescope observations are timely to detect a possible second activity outburst.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1950901
- PAR ID:
- 10497423
- Publisher / Repository:
- IOP
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Research Notes of the AAS
- Volume:
- 7
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 2515-5172
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 102
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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