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Greenbelt MD (SPX) Apr 26, 2023 - A weird asteroid has just gotten a little weirder. We have known for a while that asteroid 3200 Phaethon acts like a comet. It brightens and forms a tail when it's near the Sun, and it is the
NASA just admitted a big scientific “oopsie” — and the ripple effect has left experts scratching their heads over Earth’s annual Geminid meteor shower.
Phaethon acts like a comet and astronomers had thought its tail was made of dust, but a new study published in The Planetary Science Journal found the tail is actually made of sodium gas.
The only thing NASA knows for sure is “a weird asteroid has just gotten a little weirder.”
We have known for a while that asteroid 3200 Phaethon acts like a comet. It brightens and forms a tail when it’s near the Sun, and it is the source of the annual Geminid meteor shower, even though comets are responsible for most meteor showers. Scientists had blamed Phaethon’s comet-like behavior on dust escaping from the asteroid as it’s scorched by the Sun. However, a new study using two NASA solar observatories reveals that Phaethon’s tail is not dusty at all but is actually made of sodium gas.