60558 Echeclus
Encyclopedia : 6 : 60 : 605 : 60558 Echeclus
60558 Echeclus is a centaur in the outer solar system. It was discovered by Spacewatch in 2000 and initially classified as an asteroid with provisional designation 2000 EC98, but in late December 2005 a cometary coma was detected. In early 2006 the Committee on Small Bodies Nomenclature gave it the cometary designation 174P/Echeclus.
Echeclus is only the second comet (after Chiron) that has the same name as an asteroid (rather than the name of its discoverer(s) as with other comets). Chiron is also a centaur; other centaurs are being observed for signs of a cometary coma.
Three other objects are cross-listed as both comets and asteroids: 133P/Elst-Pizarro (7968 Elst-Pizarro), 4015 Wilson-Harrington (107P/Wilson-Harrington), and 118401 LINEAR (176P/LINEAR (LINEAR 52)).
On 11 April, 2006, a large chunk of Echeclus was observed to break off, causing a great cloud of dust. Astronomers have speculated this could have been caused by an impact or by an explosive release of volatile substances.
References
External links
- http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds/coms06.htm
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