Astronomers find first carbon-rich asteroid in Kuiper Belt
Washington, May 10: Astronomers have discovered an unusual carbon-rich asteroid in the Kuiper Belt -- the first of its kind to be confirmed in the cold outer reaches of the solar system.
This object, designated 2004 EW95, likely formed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and has been flung billions of kilometres from its origin to its current home in the Kuiper Belt, the study said.
The researchers found that the asteroid's reflectance spectrum -- the specific pattern of wavelengths of light reflected from an object -- was different to that of similar small Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), which typically have uninteresting, featureless spectra that reveal little information about their composition.
"The reflectance spectrum of 2004 EW95 was clearly distinct from the other observed outer Solar System objects," explained lead author Tom Seccull of Queen's University Belfast in Britain
"It looked enough of a weirdo for us to take a closer look," Seccull added.
Theoretical models of the early days of our solar system predict that after the gas giants formed they rampaged through the solar system, ejecting small rocky bodies from the inner solar system to far-flung orbits at great distances from the Sun.
In particular, these models suggest that the Kuiper Belt -- a cold region beyond the orbit of Neptune -- should contain a small fraction of rocky bodies from the inner solar system, such as carbon-rich asteroids, referred to as carbonaceous asteroids.
The new study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, presented evidence for the first reliably-observed carbonaceous asteroid in the Kuiper Belt, providing strong support for these theoretical models of our solar system's troubled youth.
After measurements from multiple instruments at European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT), the team of astronomers was able to measure the composition of the object.
The results suggest that it originally formed in the inner solar system and must have since migrated outwards.
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11 drug peddlers arrested in Jammu, Samba and Udhampur
Jammu (PTI): Eleven drug peddlers were arrested along with contraband substance at different places in Jammu, Samba and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.
Keshav Sahu and Pardesi Ram, both residents of Chhattisgarh, were nabbed along with two kilograms of Ganja in Gharota area of Jammu, a police spokesperson said.
He said Billu Sharma, Tarun Kumar Patel, and Dinesh Kumar Chauhan were apprehended after 10 kgs of Ganja was recovered from their possession during patrolling in Sandwan Border Police Post area of Domana in Jammu.
A police team intercepted a car at a checkpoint in Vijaypur area of Samba, leading to the recovery of 16.61 grams of heroin from its occupants -- Sanjeev Kumar and Malkeet Kour -- who were immediately arrested, the spokesperson said.
In another incident, he said another drug peddler identified as Umar Ishaq of Doda was arrested along with 3.92 grams of heroin during checking of vehicles at Nud along Samba-Mansar road.
He said an inter-district drug peddler identified as Aqib Ashraf, a resident of Anantnag, was arrested after 21.97 grams of heroin was seized from his car at Majalta in Udhampur district.
Irfan and Waseem, both residents of Udhampur, were apprehended along with 10.99 grams of heroin from Roun Domail area, the spokesperson said.
He said all the arrested peddlers were booked under separate cases of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
