Mystery Object Spotted In Space (Jan 2010)

Hubble telescope captures image of mysterious x-shaped object in space

BY MICHAEL SHERIDAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
February 3rd 2010- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2010/02/03/2010-02-03_hubble_telescope_c...

Is that a smashed comet or an X-Wing fighter?

Scientists are offering up their own theories as to what created the striking star-inspired image, which was captured by NASA's Hubble telescope in January.

"Two small and previously unknown asteroids recently collided, creating a shower of debris that is being swept back into a tail from the collision site by the pressure of sunlight," said principal investigator David Jewitt of the University of California at Los Angeles.

The object - dubbed P/2010 A2 after it was discovered in early January by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program sky survey - has traits similar to a comet, but the x-shape appears disconnected from the tail.

"The filamentary appearance of P/2010 A2 is different from anything seen in Hubble images of normal comets," Jewitt said. Follow UFO Report on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/uforeport2009

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