P/2016 J1 (PanSTARRS)
 Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope image of split asteroid pair P/2016 J1 on 6 May 2016, showing comet-like tails on both components | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS 1 |
| Discovery site | Haleakalā Observatory |
| Discovery date | 5 May 2016 |
| Designations | |
| P/2016 J1 | |
| Orbital characteristics (fragment A)[2] | |
| Epoch | 21 June 2016 (JD 2457560.5) |
| Observation arc | 153 days (A)[2] 140 days (B)[3] |
| Earliest precovery date | 4 March 2016[2] |
| Orbit type | main-belt (outer)[4] · Encke-type[2][3] · periodic[5][6] |
| Aphelion | 3.896 AU |
| Perihelion | 2.448 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 3.172 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.2283 |
| Orbital period | 5.65 yr (2,064 days) |
| Inclination | 14.330° |
| 199.856° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 46.585° |
| Last perihelion | 24 June 2016[2] |
| TJupiter | 3.113 |
| Earth MOID | 1.461 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.227 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | <0.62+0.18 −0.10 km (A)[7]: 18 <0.34+0.12 −0.06 m (B)[7]: 18 |
| 0.04 (assumed)[4] | |
| C/G[8] B–V = 0.74±0.04 (A)[8] B–V = 0.74±0.12 (B)[8] V–R = 0.36±0.04 (A)[8] V–R = 0.39±0.12 (B)[8] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 16.4±0.4 (A)[2] 17.3±0.8 (B)[3] |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | >19.95+0.18 −0.16 (A)[7]: 18 >21.26+0.23 −0.26 (B)[7]: 18 |
P/2016 J1 (PanSTARRS) is a pair of active main-belt asteroids that split apart from each other in early 2010. The brightest and largest component of the pair, P/2016 J1-A, was discovered first by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakalā Observatory on 5 May 2016. Follow-up observations by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope at Mauna Kea Observatory discovered the second component, P/2016 J1-B, on 6 May 2016.[9] Both asteroids are smaller than 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in diameter, with P/2016 J1-A being roughly 0.6 km (0.37 mi) in diameter and P/2016 J1-B being roughly 0.3 km (0.19 mi) in diameter.[7]: 18 The two components recurrently exhibit cometary activity as they approach the Sun near perihelion, suggesting that their activity is driven by sublimation of volatile compounds such as water.[7]
Orbit[edit]
Asteroid family[edit]
In 2018, an orbit analysis by Hsieh et al. found that both components of P/2016 J1 are related to the Theobalda asteroid family of C-, F-, and X-type asteroids. The Theobalda family likely originated as fragments from an impact event that shattered a 78 ± 9 km (48 ± 6 mi)-diameter parent body 6.9±2.3 million years ago.[10]: 10 Another ice-sublimating active asteroid, 427P/ATLAS (P/2017 S5), was also identified to be part the Theobalda family, suggesting that some members of this family were able to retain subsurface water ice since the collision that formed them.[11]: 7
See also[edit]
- Asteroid pair
- Active asteroid
- P/2013 R3 (Catalina–PanSTARRS) – an active asteroid that completely disintegrated due to rotational breakup
- 331P/Gibbs – another active asteroid disintegrating and fragmenting by rotational breakup
References[edit]
- ^ Williams, Gareth V. (8 May 2016). "MPEC-2016-J90 : P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS)". Minor Planet Electronic Circulars. 2016-J90. Minor Planet Center. Bibcode:2016MPEC....J...90W. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: P/2016 J1-A (PANSTARRS)" (2016-08-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: P/2016 J1-B (PANSTARRS)" (2016-08-04 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b Moreno, F.; Pozuelos, F. J.; Novaković, B.; Licandro, J.; Cabrera-Lavers, A.; Bolin, B.; et al. (March 2017). "The Splitting of Double-component Active Asteroid P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS)". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 837 (1): 6. arXiv:1702.03665. Bibcode:2017ApJ...837L...3M. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/aa6036. L3.
- ^ "P/2016 J1-A (PANSTARRS)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "P/2016 J1-B (PANSTARRS)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f Hsieh, Henry H.; Micheli, Marco; Kelley, Michael S. P.; Knight, Matthew M.; Moskovitz, Nicholas A.; Pittichová, Jana; et al. (March 2023). "Observational Characterization of Main-belt Comet and Candidate Main-belt Comet Nuclei". The Planetary Science Journal. 4 (3): 22. arXiv:2302.11689. Bibcode:2023PSJ.....4...43H. doi:10.3847/PSJ/acbdfe. 43.
- ^ a b c d e Hui, Man-To; Jewitt, David; Du, Xinnan (April 2017). "Split Active Asteroid P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS)" (PDF). The Astronomical Journal. 153 (4): 8. arXiv:1702.02766. Bibcode:2017AJ....153..141H. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aa6039. 141.
- ^ Green, Daniel W. E. (9 May 2016). "CBET 4276: COMET P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS)". Central Bureau Electronic Telegram. 4276. Central Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams: 1. Bibcode:2016CBET.4276....1W. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- ^ Hsieh, Henry H.; Novaković, Bojan; Kim, Yoonyoung; Brasser, Ramon (February 2018). "Asteroid Family Associations of Active Asteroids". The Astronomical Journal. 155 (2): 22. arXiv:1801.01152. Bibcode:2018AJ....155...96H. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaa5a2. 96.
- ^ Jewitt, David; Kim, Yoonyoung; Rajagopal, Jayadev; Ridgway, Susan; Kotulla, Ralf; Liu, Wilson; et al. (February 2019). "Active Asteroid P/2017 S5 (ATLAS)". The Astronomical Journal. 157 (2): 8. arXiv:1812.00060. Bibcode:2019AJ....157...54J. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaf563. 54.
External links[edit]
- P/2016 J1: an asteroid that split in two and whose fragments, years later, developed tails, Silbia López de Lacalle, Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, 28 February 2017
- The Splitting of Double-component Active Asteroid P/2016 J1 (PANSTARRS), presentation by Fernando Moreno, European Space Agency, 2017
- P/2016 J1 ( PanSTARRS ), Seiichi Yoshida, updated 3 March 2018
- P/2016 J1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
.png)
