Hidden Comet Discovered in Asteroid Belt: Are There More?
Scientists have discovered a new main-belt comet, 456P/PANSTARRS, in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, increasing the known count of such objects to 14. Main-belt comets, like 456P, exhibit comet-like activity such as outgassing and forming tails, despite having asteroid-like orbits. This discovery suggests that these comets could provide insights into the early solar system, challenging previous notions about the "snow line" where ice could exist during the solar system's formation.
