Boundary-Breaking Citizen Scientists Discover Enigmatic Object Blurring Comet and Asteroid Distinctions
Citizen scientists discovered a celestial object in 2016 that was later determined to lie on the boundary between a comet and an asteroid. The object, named quasi-Hilda 2009 DQ118, displayed clear signs of comet behavior and was found to have a second epoch of activity. Photometric analysis of the object's tail revealed consistent length and brightness, and its orbital history indicated frequent proximity to Jupiter. The research team concluded that the object is neither predominantly ice nor rock, placing it in a unique category between comets and asteroids.