{"id":389,"date":"2026-08-03T16:32:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=389"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:32:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:32:37","slug":"nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/?p=389","title":{"rendered":"NASA Study Finds Near-Earth Asteroid Is Actually Comet"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"p-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-container grid-row grid-container-block padding-x-3 desktop:padding-0\">\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-3\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-9 desktop:padding-left-9\">\n<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-container grid-row grid-container-block padding-x-3 desktop:padding-0\">\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-3 desktop:padding-right-5 desktop:padding-left-3 padding-top-3\">\n<div class=\"article-meta-item grid-row flex-align-center border-bottom padding-top-0 padding-bottom-2 subtitle\">\n<div class=\"grid-col\">\n<p class=\"font-weight-bold\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-meta-item grid-row flex-align-center border-bottom padding-y-2\"><span class=\"heading-12 text-uppercase\">Jul 16, 2026<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-meta-item grid-row flex-align-center border-bottom padding-y-2 text-uppercase\"><span class=\"heading-12 text-uppercase\">Article<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-y-2\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-y-2 usa-article-scroll-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"usa-article__scroll\">\n<div class=\"border-left-1px border-color-carbon-20-important padding-left-3 padding-y-1\">\n<h2 class=\"margin-0 padding-0 text-uppercase heading-18\">Contents<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul class=\"usa-list usa-list__article-content usa-list--unstyled\">\n<li class=\"border-left-1px border-color-carbon-20-important padding-y-1 padding-left-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/#hds-sidebar-nav-1\" data-section-id=\"hds-sidebar-nav-1\">Object tracking<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"border-left-1px border-color-carbon-20-important padding-y-1 padding-left-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/#hds-sidebar-nav-2\" data-section-id=\"hds-sidebar-nav-2\">Tail, coma emerge<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"border-left-1px border-color-carbon-20-important padding-y-1 padding-left-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/#hds-sidebar-nav-3\" data-section-id=\"hds-sidebar-nav-3\">Planetary defense implications<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"border-left-1px border-color-carbon-20-important padding-y-1 padding-left-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/#hds-sidebar-nav-4\" data-section-id=\"hds-sidebar-nav-4\">Hunting for near-Earth objects<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-9 desktop:padding-left-9 desktop:padding-right-3 desktop:padding-top-3 usa-article-content\">\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\">\n<div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\">\n<div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1-pia21259.jpg\"><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">This artist\u2019s concept depicts a near-Earth asteroid with an elongated orbit. A few objects such as these can exhibit significant perturbations in their motion around the Sun and, like the asteroid 1998 SH2, could turn out to be regular comets with a weak tail and coma (the gas and dust around a comet\u2019s nucleus).<\/div>\n<div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">New research led by scientists at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has revealed the identity of a puzzling near-Earth object by precisely tracking its motion through space and using powerful observatories that image faint celestial objects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This object has a dual personality: Past images hadn\u2019t revealed obvious cometlike activity, suggesting it might be an asteroid, but its motion recently proved to be irregular like that of a comet. The scientists detailed their findings in a study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41550-026-02913-7.epdf?sharing_token=9Tyupu4lm8WCiQN9V4uRpNRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0O84-m2iWHZz4iV2hT32uLAbHe5sb0xl89wktx4_l0h7YzBZMRyDOSyjQNggyMpO13q_DgXU9bhmcGdlhgM_FYaPgkyxjrDRZbEUugt7jKl1K-HJuNbYtqdlXGXWfBi114%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">published<\/a> in the journal Nature Astronomy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The puzzle began on Aug. 28, 2025, when the object, provisionally known as the asteroid 1998 SH2, passed safely within 2 million miles (3 million kilometers) of our planet during its 4\u00bd-year orbit around the Sun. Researchers looking to observe 1998 SH2 with NASA\u2019s Deep Space Network (DSN) planetary radar system had calculated its position using data from previous orbits and factored in the effects that the gravity of the Sun and planets would have on its path. But when 1998 SH2 didn\u2019t show up where they expected, they realized that something unanticipated had been influencing the object\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By using optical astrometry to precisely measure the object\u2019s position in the sky, the researchers were able to identify the cause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAfter we measured the nongravitational perturbations affecting the motion of 1998 SH2 and recognized they weren\u2019t compatible with the object being an asteroid, we suspected the object could be an active comet,\u201d said Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer with NASA\u2019s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at JPL and study lead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although 1998 SH2\u2019s orbit around the Sun had been well-tracked from 1998 to 2016, the object had completed two solar orbits without additional observations by telescopes until the 2025 DSN attempts. Analyzing all observations collected since the object\u2019s discovery in 1998, researchers determined the perturbations to 1998 SH2\u2019s motion and hypothesized that the object may be generating a small thrust by venting gas into space, causing it to deviate from its predicted path.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This venting results from the Sun heating ice mixed with rocky material, turning the ice into a gas. With regular comets, this activity forms a trademark bright tail and coma \u2014 the gas and dust surrounding a comet\u2019s nucleus. But when an object produces gas and dust in much smaller quantities, its tail and coma may not be detectable to most observatories.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The August 2025 close approach to Earth of 1998 SH2 provided the perfect opportunity for the paper\u2019s authors to gather observational evidence of visible cometary activity. They reached out to astronomers at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, a 3.6-meter (12-foot) optical\/infrared telescope near the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, and the 1.5-meter (5-foot) European Southern Observatory\u2019s Danish Telescope in La Silla, Chile, to observe. Astronomers at the powerful European Southern Observatory\u2019s 8.2-meter (27-foot) Very Large Telescope on the Chilean mountain Cerro Paranal also tracked the object.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe images we collected from these observatories showed a weak but clear tail, thus confirming that 1998 SH2 is, in fact, a comet,\u201d said Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory and coauthor of the study. \u201cThat\u2019s how science works \u2014 you form a hypothesis, and you set out to test it. This data is exactly what was needed to confirm our hypothesis that 1998 SH2 was a comet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As an outcome of the investigation, 1998 SH2 will receive an additional comet provisional designation, P\/1998 SH2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research also sheds light on another, even more unusual, class of objects called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/nasa-researchers-discover-more-dark-comets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dark comets<\/a>. Like 1998 SH2, dark comets exhibit significant irregularities, or perturbations, in their trajectory but lack other visible evidence of comet activity \u2014 there\u2019s no coma, tail, or visible outgassing. These enigmatic objects fall into two distinct populations: larger ones with orbits similar to those of Jupiter-family comets (<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">short period comets<\/a> with highly elliptical, or eccentric, orbits), and smaller ones that orbit closer to the Sun. Since the 2016 discovery of the first dark comet, about a dozen more have been identified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The paper\u2019s authors suggest that many of the larger dark comets, which have orbits like 1998 SH2\u2019s, could turn out to be regular comets if astronomers get the right opportunity to observe them with powerful telescopes capable of imaging incredibly faint objects. And by analyzing the motion of all near-Earth objects using precision astrometry data, researchers may reveal more comets that were previously designated as asteroids if they exhibit cometlike nongravitational perturbations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis work shows the importance of continuously tracking near-Earth objects,\u201d said Farnocchia. \u201cBecause of outgassing, the motion of comets is more significantly perturbed than that of asteroids. Detecting these perturbations can be an important diagnostic tool for planetary defense that will help understand which objects may be comets rather than asteroids, how their orbits evolve, and how that influences their Earth impact risks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA\u2019s upcoming <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/neo-surveyor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor<\/a> will collect data that can be used to support this effort. The first space survey telescope to be built for planetary defense, this next-generation mission will seek out some of the hardest-to-find near-Earth objects, such as dark asteroids and comets that don\u2019t reflect much visible light.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NASA\u2019s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, the Goldstone Solar System Radar Group, and NEO Surveyor all are managed by JPL and supported by the agency\u2019s Planetary Defense Coordination Office in Washington. Caltech in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA. The DSN receives programmatic oversight from the SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program office, also at NASA headquarters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More information about planetary radar, NASA\u2019s Center for Near Earth Object Studies, and near-Earth objects can be found at:<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/asteroid-watch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/asteroid-watch<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>News Media Contacts<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ian J. O\u2019Neill<br \/>Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.<br \/>818-354-2649<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/mailto:ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karen Fox \/ Molly Wasser<br \/>NASA Headquarters, Washington<br \/>202-358-1600<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/mailto:karen.c.fox@nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/mailto:molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">2026-046<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 nasa_template_article_a hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Jul 16, 2026<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"article-tags\">\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\">Comets<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/asteroids\">Asteroids<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/jpl\/\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-science\/programs\/planetarydefense\/\">Planetary Defense<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-science\/programs\/planetarydefense\/\">Planetary Defense Coordination Office<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-science\/\">Planetary Science<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/science-research\/heliophysics\/the-sun-solar-physics\/\">The Sun &amp; Solar Physics<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-topic-cards nasa-gb-align-full maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 color-mode-dark hds-module hds-module-full alignfull wp-block-nasa-blocks-topic-cards\">\n<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block-lg padding-x-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-row flex-align-center margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"label color-carbon-60 margin-bottom-2\">Keep Exploring<\/div>\n<h2 class=\"heading-36 line-height-sm\">Discover Related Topics<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-2 hds-topic-cards-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/asteroids-comets-meteors\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-defense-neoo\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/neo-surveyor\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"edit-post-link\"><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">CNEOS Recent News<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/comets\/nasa-study-finds-near-earth-asteroid-is-actually-comet\/\">CNEOS Recent News<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research led by scientists at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has revealed the identity of a puzzling near-Earth object by precisely tracking its motion through space and using powerful observatories that image faint celestial objects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-space-nasa-jpl-near-earth-objects"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":596,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389\/revisions\/596"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirstier.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}