At the heart of Hartley-2, a new breed of comet?
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 - 17:00
in Astronomy & Space
(PhysOrg.com) -- At the heart of every comet lies a remnant of the dawn of the solar system. Or is that remnants? Astronomers don't know, but the answer would give them a clearer picture of exactly how comets were born eons ago at the birth of the Solar System. Did thin tendrils of dust and ice get drawn slowly inward and pack themselves into a single, uniform mass? Or did a hodge-podge of mini-comets come together to form the core for a comet of substance?