More Like this

1. AI-enhanced Citizen Science Discovery of an Active Asteroid: (410590) 2008 GB140

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2515-5172/ad2b67  

   Chandler, Colin Orion; Sedaghat, Nima; Oldroyd, William J.; Trujillo, Chadwick A.; Burris, William A.; Hsieh, Henry H.; Kueny, Jay K.; Farrell, Kennedy A.; DeSpain, Jarod A.; Magbanua, Mark Jesus; et al (February 2024, Research Notes of the AAS)

   Abstract We report the discovery of cometary activity emanating from Main-belt asteroid 410590 (2008 GB₁₄₀), a finding facilitated, for the first time, by an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The assistant,TailNet, is a prototype we designed to enhance volunteer efforts of our Citizen Science projectActive Asteroids, a NASA Partner program hosted on theZooniverseplatform. Our follow-up investigation revealed eight Dark Energy Camera images showing 2008 GB₁₄₀with a tail spanning UT 2023 April 23–UT 2023 July 3, when the object was inbound to perihelion. We classify 2008 GB₁₄₀as an active asteroid and a candidate Main-belt comet (MBC)—a main-belt asteroid that undergoes volatile sublimation-driven activity. Notably, 2008 GB₁₄₀is presently near perihelion, thus the object is a prime target for follow-up observations to further characterize its activity. 

   more » « less
2. New Active Asteroid 2015 VA108: A Citizen Science Discovery

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2515-5172/acbbce  

   Chandler, Colin Orion; Oldroyd, William J; Trujillo, Chadwick A; Burris, William A; Hsieh, Henry H; Kueny, Jay K; Mazzucato, Michele T; Bosch, Milton_K D; Shaw-Diaz, Tiffany (February 2023, Research Notes of the AAS)

   Abstract We announce the discovery of activity, in the form of a distinct cometary tail, emerging from main-belt asteroid 2015 VA₁₀₈. Activity was first identified by volunteers of the Citizen Science project Active Asteroids (a NASA Partner). We uncovered one additional image from the same observing run which also unambiguously shows 2015 VA₁₀₈with a tail oriented between the anti-solar and anti-motion vectors that are often correlated with activity orientation on sky. Both publicly available archival images were originally acquired UT 2015 October 11 with the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Blanco 4 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (Chile) as part of the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey. Activity occurred near perihelion and, combined with its residence in the main asteroid belt, 2015 VA₁₀₈is a candidate main-belt comet, an active asteroid subset known for volatile sublimation. 

   more » « less
3. Cometary Activity from Minor Planet 2015 VP ₅₁ Discovered with Citizen Science

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2515-5172/ad7854  

   Frissell, Maxwell_K; Chandler, Colin_Orion; Oldroyd, William_J; Trujillo, Chadwick_A; Sedaghat, Nima; Burris, William_A; Kueny, Jay_K; DeSpain, Jarod_A; Farrell, Kennedy_A; Hsieh, Henry_H; et al (September 2024, Research Notes of the AAS)

   Abstract We report the discovery of cometary activity emanating from minor planet 2015 VP₅₁outbound from its recent perihelion passage. The activity, in the form of a diffuse tail, was first identified by volunteers of our Citizen Science programActive Asteroids, a NASA Partner program hosted on theZooniverseplatform. This discovery was aided by the recently implementedTailNetartificial intelligence assistant which filters out images with a low likelihood of showing cometary activity. The tail is present in nine images of 2015 VP₅₁from the Dark Energy Camera and OmegaCAM between UT 2015 August 2 and UT 2015 October 18. We classify 2015 VP₅₁as a Jupiter-family comet based on its Tisserand parameter with respect to JupiterT_J = 2.931. 

   more » « less
4. Citizen Scientists Discover “Asteroid in a Cometary Orbit” 2010 MK ₄₃ has a Comet Tail

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2515-5172/ad7c50  

   Kueny, Jay_K; Chandler, Colin_Orion; Frissell, Maxwell_K; Oldroyd, William_J; Trujillo, Chadwick_A; Burris, William_A; Farrell, Kennedy_A; Sedaghat, Nima; Hsieh, Henry_H; DeSpain, Jarod_A; et al (September 2024, Research Notes of the AAS)

   Abstract We present the discovery of a short, diffuse tail on minor planet 2010 MK₄₃(alternate designation 2010 RA₇₈)—an object previously identified as an asteroid in a cometary orbit—by volunteers of our Citizen Science programActive Asteroids. Our follow-up investigation revealed eight Dark Energy Camera images showing 2010 MK₄₃with a tail spanning UT 2024 February 12–UT 2024 February 18 when the object was outbound from perihelion. We now classify 2010 MK₄₃as a Jupiter-family comet based on its Tisserand parameter with respect to JupiterT_J = 2.888, though our dynamical simulations reveal that, due to frequent close encounters with Jupiter, 2010 MK₄₃was likely a quasi-Hilda within the last 10 kyr. 

   more » « less
5. Comet-like Activity Discovered on Quasi-Hilda Asteroid 2009 DQ118

   https://doi.org/10.3847/2515-5172/acc17c  

   Oldroyd, William J.; Chandler, Colin Orion; Trujillo, Chadwick A.; Burris, William A.; Kueny, Jay K.; Hsieh, Henry H.; Farrell, Kennedy A.; DeSpain, Jarod A.; Mazzucato, Michele T.; Bosch, Milton K. D.; et al (March 2023, Research Notes of the AAS)

   Abstract We report evidence of comet-like activity on asteroid 2009 DQ118, a quasi-Hilda object near the 3:2 interior mean-motion resonance with Jupiter. This discovery was made by volunteers as part of the Active Asteroids Citizen Science project, a NASA Partner hosted on the Zooniverse platform. Follow-up archival searches yielded over 20 images of 2009 DQ118 exhibiting a comet-like tail on UT 2016 March 8 and 9 acquired with the Dark Energy Camera on the Blanco 4 m telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, Chile. These images were taken when 2009 DQ118 was near its 2016 perihelion passage. 2009 DQ118 will next reach perihelion on UT 2023 April 22; hence, the next several months are an excellent time to observe 2009 DQ118 to search for a second epoch of activity for this object. 

   more » « less