Recurrent Activity from Active Asteroid (248370) 2005 QN173: A Main-belt Comet

We present archival observations of main-belt asteroid (248370) 2005 QN173 (also designated 433P) that demonstrate this recently discovered active asteroid (a body with a dynamically asteroidal orbit displaying a tail or coma) has had at least one additional apparition of activity near perihelion during a prior orbit. We discovered evidence of this second activity epoch in an image captured 2016 July 22 with the DECam on the 4 m Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. As of this writing, (248370) 2005 QN173 is just the eighth active asteroid demonstrated to undergo recurrent activity near perihelion. Our analyses demonstrate (248370) 2005 QN173 is likely a member of the active asteroid subset known as main-belt comets, a group of objects that orbit in the main asteroid belt that exhibit activity that is specifically driven by sublimation. We implement an activity detection technique, wedge photometry, that has the potential to detect tails in images of solar system objects and quantify their agreement with computed antisolar and antimotion vectors normally associated with observed tail directions. We present a catalog and an image gallery of archival observations. The object will soon become unobservable as it passes behind the Sun as seen from Earth, and when it again becomes visible (late 2022) it will be farther than 3 au from the Sun. Our findings suggest (248370) 2005 QN173 is most active interior to 2.7 au (0.3 au from perihelion), so we encourage the community to observe and study this special object before 2021 December.

The Planetary Vaporization Event Hypothesis: Supercharging Earth’s Geothermal Core, Identifying Side Effects Blast Patterns, and Inferring how to Find Earth-Like Planets or Identifying Super Charged Geothermal Cores and their Byproduct Blast Patterns

The supercharged nature of the Earth’s geothermal core can be demonstrated by three thought experiments exhibiting it is tremendously more powerful than any other terrestrial object in the solar system (planet or moon). Identifying a minimum of four byproduct asteroid blast patterns linked to the formation of Earth’s supercharged geothermal core is critical to properly identifying stars that also have these four byproduct asteroid blast patterns. These stars are the most likely to host an Earth-like planet qualified by having a supercharged geothermal core. The Planetary Vaporization-Event (PVE) Hypothesis provides a basis for correlation between the supercharged nature of Earth’s geothermal core and at least 14 listed side effects: (1) the asteroid-wide/planet-scale homogenization and lack thereof of 182W ε for Earth, the Moon, Mars and meteors, (2) the primary and secondary shifting of Earth’s tectonic plates, (3) the solar system wide displacement of Earth’s wayward moons (including Ceres, Pluto, Charon and Orcus) outgassing identical samples of ammoniated phyllosilicates, (4) the formation of asteroids at 100+ times the expected density of a nebular cloud vs. pre-solar grains formation density at the expected density of a nebular cloud, (5) three distinct formation timestamps for all known asteroids within a 5 million year window 4.55+ billion years ago, (6) the estimated formation temperature of CAI at 0.86 billion Kelvin and (7) the remaining chondritic meteorite matrix flash vaporizing at 1,200–1,900 °C, (8) followed by rapid freezing near 0 K, (9) the development of exactly 2 asteroid belts and a swarm of non-moon satellites, (10) particulate size distinction between the 2 asteroid belts of small/inner, large/outer, (11) the proximity of the Trojan Asteroid Groups to the Main Asteroid Belt, (12) observation of a past or present LHB, (13) the development of annual meteor showers for Earth proximal to apogee and/or perigee, (14) the Sun being the most-likely object struck by an asteroid in the inner solar system. Through better understanding of the relevant data at hand and reclassification of the byproducts of supercharging the core of a planet, at least 5 new insights can be inferred and are listed as: (1) the original mass, (2) distance and (3) speed of Earth Mark One, (4) the original order of Earth’s multi-moon formation and (5) the high probability of finding detectable signs of life on a planet orbiting the stars Epsilon Eridani and Eta Corvi. There are at least 6 popular hypothesis that the PVE Hypothesis is in conflict with, listed they are: (1) a giant impact forming the Moon, (2) asteroids being the building blocks of the solar system, (3) the Main Asteroid Belt being the result of a planet that never formed, (4) the LHB being a part of the accretion disk process, (5) the heat in Earth’s core coming primarily from the decay of radioactive elements, (6) the Oort Cloud being the source of ice comets.

Ryugu’s observed volatile loss did not arise from impact heating alone

Carbonaceous asteroids, including Ryugu and Bennu, which have been explored by the Hayabusa2 and OSIRIS-REx missions, were probably important carriers of volatiles to the inner Solar System. However, Ryugu has experienced significant volatile loss, possibly from hypervelocity impact heating. Here we present impact experiments at speeds comparable to those expected in the main asteroid belt (3.7 km s−1 and 5.8 km s−1) and with analogue target materials. We find that loss of volatiles from the target material due to impacts is not sufficient to account for the observed volatile depletion of Ryugu. We propose that mutual collisions in the main asteroid belt are unlikely to be solely responsible for the loss of volatiles from Ryugu or its parent body. Instead, we suggest that additional processes, for example associated with the diversity in mechanisms and timing of their formation, are necessary to account for the variable volatile contents of carbonaceous asteroids.

Characterization of NH4-montmorillonite coexisting with NH4Cl salt at different aggregation states. Application to Ceres.

<p>Ceres, dwarf planet of the main asteroid belt, is considered a relic ocean world since the Dawn mission discovered evidences of aqueous alteration and cryovolcanic activity [1]. Unexpectedly, a variety of ammonium-rich minerals were identified on its surface, including phyllosilicates, carbonates, and chlorides [2]. Although from the Dawn’s VIR spectroscopic data it was not possible to specify the exact type of phyllosilicates observed, montmorillonite is considered a good candidate owing to its ability to incorporate NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> in its interlayers [3]. Ammonium-rich phases are usually found at greater distances from the Sun. Hence, the study on their stability at environmental conditions relevant to Ceres’ interior and of its regolith can help elucidate certain ambiguities concerning the provenance of its precursor materials.</p> <p>In this study, it was investigated the changes in the spectroscopic signatures of the clay mineral montmorillonite after (a) being immersed in ammonium chloride aqueous solution and, subsequently, (b) washed with deionized water. After each treatment, samples were submitted to different environmental conditions relevant to the surface of Ceres. For one experiment, they were frozen overnight at 193 K, and then subjected to 10<sup>-5</sup> bar for up to 4 days in a Telstar Cryodos lyophilizer. For the other, they were placed inside the Planetary Atmospheres and Surfaces Chamber (PASC) [4] for 1 day at 100 K and 5.10<sup>-8</sup> bar. The combination of different techniques, i.e., Raman and IR spectroscopies, XRD, and SEM/EDX, assisted the assignment of the bands to each particular molecule. In this regard, the signatures of the mineral external surface were distinguished from the interlayered NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+ </sup>cations. The degree of compaction of the samples resulted crucial on their stability and spectroscopic response, being stiff smectites more resistant to low temperatures and vacuum conditions. In ground clay minerals, a decrease in the basal space with a redshift of the interlayered NH<sub>4</sub><sup>+</sup> IR band was measured after just 1 day of being exposed to vacuum conditions.</p> <p>Acknowledgments</p> <p>This work was supported by the Spanish MINECO projects ESP2017-89053-C2-1-P and PID2019-107442RB-C32, and the AEI project MDM‐2017‐0737 Unidad de Excelencia “María de Maeztu”.</p> <p>References</p> <p>[1] De Sanctis et al.,  Space Sci. Rev. 216, 60, 2020</p> <p>[2] Raponi et al., Icarus 320, 83,  2019</p> <p>[3] Borden and Giese, Clays Clay Miner. 49, 444, 2001</p> <p>[4] Mateo-Marti et al., Life 9, 72, 2019</p>

Spectroscopic study of Ceres' collisional family candidate members: taxonomic classification and comparison to Ceres' surface.

<p>Despite the observed signs of large impacts on the surface of Ceres, there is no confirmed collisional family associated with this dwarf planet. Carruba et al. (2016) carried out a dynamical study in the ‘pristine region’ of the main asteroid belt and proposed a sample of 156 asteroids as candidates to be members of a Ceres’ collisional family. Our main objective in this work is to study the spectral link between Ceres and a total of 14 observed asteroids among the family candidate samples proposed by Carruba et al. (2016) to explore their potential membership to the collisional family.</p> <p>For this aim we obtained visible spectra of these 14 asteroids using the OSIRIS spectrograph at the 10.4m Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC), located at the El Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (La Palma, Spain), managed by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC). We reduced the raw images and extracted the spectra with a semi-automatic Python-based pipeline. After that, we computed spectral slopes in two different wavelength ranges: one in the visible (490-800 nm) and one in the visible-near-infrared (800-920 nm) to compare the obtained values with those in Ceres’ surface already Ncomputed by Rousseau et al. (2020) using the spectrometer onboard the NASA Dawn spacecraft.</p> <p>We present the spectra and the taxonomy of 14 observed asteroids, their taxonomy, and calculated slopes. We concluded that only one asteroid could be compatible with an origin in a primitive collision at Ceres. We have also found a hydration band at 700 nm, also found in the surroundings of crater Occattor (Rizos et al. 2019). On the other hand, we have also found a relation between the spectral slope of the craters in Ceres’ surface and their age in both wavelength ranges. This behavior could be related to space weathering.</p> <p>Exploring the sample as a whole, the variability in member’s taxonomy and the differences in their spectral slopes makes us conclude that they cannot be considered as members of a collisional family of Ceres. However, the presence of a hydration band in one of the asteroids could be proof that such a family may have existed.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Bibliography:</p> <p>Carruba, V., Nesvorný, D., Marchi, S., & Aljbaae, S. 2016, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 458, 1117</p> <p>Rousseau, B., De Sanctis, M. C., Raponi, A., et al. 2020, A&A, 642, A74</p> <p>Rizos, J. L., de León, J., Licandro, J., et al. 2019, Icarus, 328, 69</p>

On a possibility of transfer of asteroids from the 2:1 mean motion resonance with Jupiter to the Centaur zone

ABSTRACT The paper analyses possible transfers of bodies from the main asteroid belt (MBA) to the Centaur region. The orbits of asteroids in the 2:1 mean motion resonance (MMR) with Jupiter are analysed. We selected the asteroids that are in resonant orbits with e > 0.3 whose absolute magnitudes H do not exceed 16 m. The total number of the orbits amounts to 152. Numerical calculations were performed to evaluate the evolution of the orbits over 100,000-year time interval with projects for the future. Six bodies are found to have moved from the 2:1 commensurability zone to the Centaur population. The transfer time of these bodies to the Centaur zone ranges from 4,600 to 70,000 yr. Such transfers occur after orbits leave the resonance and the bodies approach Jupiter Where after reaching sufficient orbital eccentricities bodies approach a terrestrial planet, their orbits go out of the MMR. Accuracy estimations are carried out to confirm the possible asteroid transfers to the Centaur region.

Curved Space: Theory of Everything

Matter and energy are both made from curved space, the flow of space creates gravitation, and the increase of space causes the expansion of the universe. Matter curves in two different directions of one dimension creates two types of electric charges: positive and negative. Matter curves in three different dimensions creates three values or charges of quark's color: red, green, and blue. The equivalent equation of space: S=Ec²=mc⁴ . The main asteroid belt is at the gravitation limit distance of the Sun. When the Sun moves forward in the Milky Way, the inner planets are affected by the gravitation and moves directly with it. The space which released by the Sun flows backwards on its path and guiding the outer planets to follow it. The gravitation of hollow sphere space: S=(4/3)π((r+a)³-r³) .