PANSTARRS is the name of the telescope (more specifically, University of Hawaiʻi’s Pan-STARRS PS1 telescope) that discovered it, not the name of the asteroid itself.
I guess they can tell it’s uncooked ’cause it:
- isn’t wrapped in tinfoil; and
- hasn’t yet:
- puffed up, or
- been dosed with sour cream.
Also has not been boiled, mashed, or stuck into a stew.
After reading the article: I think the importance of this is that they found a rock, but on an orbit similar to long-period comets. If this thing will get nearer to the sun the heat-up will show the composition of a really old object, so far not (or minimally) altered by solar radiation.
Is there a reason for the artist impression’s artist to assume that this asteroid has very few impact craters, compared to known asteroids? Would ‘uncooked’ also imply ‘unbombarded’ by proto-planetary bodies?
Here is my piece of space:
Top is a coprolite.
Bottom is from the Campo del Cielo meteorite in Argentina.
Yes, that makes sense. Stuff is a lot more sparse way out there.
Does this mean there’s a chance we could find giant, spaceship-swallowing worms?
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