Researchers have found a trio of icy comets hidden among the thousands of rocks in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Such comets, which don’t fit into any known class, could have been primary sources of water that transformed the early, dry Earth.
CURIOUS COMETS. The three newly discovered main-belt comets, which have properties in common with both main-belt asteroids and comets from farther out in the solar system.
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.