• DOI:10.1088/2041-8205/784/1/L8
• Corpus ID: 54680553

DISINTEGRATING ASTEROID P/2013 R3

@article{Jewitt2014DISINTEGRATINGAP,
  title={DISINTEGRATING ASTEROID P/2013 R3},
  author={David C. Jewitt and Jessica Agarwal and Jing Li and H. Weaver and Max J. Mutchler and Stephen M. Larson},
  journal={The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  year={2014},
  volume={784}
}

• D. Jewitt, J. Agarwal, +3 authors S. Larson
• Published 5 March 2014
• Physics, Geology
• The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Splitting of the nuclei of comets into multiple components has been frequently observed but, to date, no main-belt asteroid has been observed to break up. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we find that main-belt asteroid P/2013 R3 consists of 10 or more distinct components, the largest up to 200 m in radius (assumed geometric albedo of 0.05) each of which produces a coma and comet-like dust tail. A diffuse debris cloud with total mass ∼2 × 108 kg further envelopes the entire system. The velocity dispersion among the components, ΔV ∼ 0.2–0.5 m s−1, is comparable to the gravitational escape speeds of the largest members, while their extrapolated plane-of-sky motions suggest a break up between 2013 February and September. The broadband optical colors are those of a C-type asteroid. We find no spectral evidence for gaseous emission, placing model-dependent upper limits to the water production rate ⩽1 kg s−1. Breakup may be due to a rotationally induced structural failure of the precursor body.