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Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann I and two asteroids
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Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 (its nucleus is about 30 Km in diameter and is too small to be resolved by the SST while the micron-sized dust grains in the coma and tail stream out away from the Sun) is thought to be a member of a relatively new class of objects called "Centaurs," of which 45 objects are known. These are small icy bodies with orbits between those of Jupiter and Neptune. Astronomers believe that Centaurs are recent escapees from the Kuiper Belt, a zone of small bodies orbiting in a cloud at the distant reaches of the Solar System. Two asteroids, 1996 GM36 (left) and 5238 Naozane (right) were serendipitously captured in the comet image. Because they are closer to us than the comet and have faster orbital velocities, they appear to move relative to the comet and background stars, thereby producing a slight elongated appearance. The SST data have allowed astronomers to use thermal measurements, which reduce the uncertainties of visible-light albedo (reflectivity) measurements, to determine their size.
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(Dettagli)
