OBJECTS that look like asteroids but swing out into deep space like comets
are puzzling astronomers.
A 10-kilometre object called 2001 OG108 has a 50-year orbit almost
perpendicular to the orbits of the planets. It comes closer to the Sun than
Earth does, but its farthest point is more distant than Uranus. Even weirder is
2000 OO67, which, according to new observations, is nearly 100 kilometres across
and has a 13,300-year orbit carrying it more than 160 billion kilometres away,
25 times farther from the Sun than Pluto (Minor Planet Electronic
Circulars, 2001, P40 and P43).
These objects…
