Long road trips can be tedious and boring. That's why many road travelers break up their arduous journey by making rest stops along the way.
Astronomers found that at least one roaming comet is doing the same thing. The wayward object made a temporary stop near giant Jupiter. The icy visitor has plenty of company: It has settled near the family of captured asteroids known as Trojans that are co-orbiting the Sun alongside Jupiter.
This is the first time a comet-like object has been spotted near the Trojan asteroid population. Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal the vagabond is showing signs of transitioning from a frigid asteroid-like body to an active comet, sprouting a long tail, outgassing jets of material, and enshrouding itself in a coma of dust and gas.
The interloper came from the frigid outskirts of our solar system, a comet nesting-ground called the Kuiper Belt. This nomad was likely snatched by Jupiter's powerful gravity after it had a brush with the giant planet.
Jupiter's uninvited guest probably will not hang around the planet for very long. As the "bouncer" of the solar system, the monster planet's gravitational tug will eventually boot the comet back onto its road trip toward our Sun.
