Scientists left baffled after discovering asteroid-comet hybrid that's like nothing ever seen before

Scientists have made a shocking discovery about a rare object in our solar system likened to an asteroid-comet hybrid.

Astronomers from the University of Central Florida have made the space discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

As they analysed near-infrared images, the scientists found something that is 'like nothing' the astronomy world has ever seen before.

So pretty huge, then.

The UCF Florida Space Institute (FSI) researchers found a Centaur and while it may be named after a mythical creature that is half-horse and half-man, in space terms, it describes an asteroid-comet hybrid.

These bodies are found between Jupiter and Neptune and though they behave like asteroids, they produce gas and dust like comets.

They used the JWST to make the discovery (Getty Stock Photo)

What's the difference between an asteroid and a comet?

An asteroid can be described as a large chunk of rock from left over collisions from the early stages of our solar system, which are mostly located between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.

A comet is a rock covered in ice, methane and other elements, though these orbits are much further out of our solar system.

Centaurs are a combination of both, and one in particular has left researchers Dr Charles Schambeau and Scientist Noemí Pinilla-Alonso scratching their heads.

Introducing 2060 Chiron

2060 Chiron is 125 miles wide and it's a Centaur having first been discovered in 1977.

They're almost like time capsules containing information about the formation of our solar system, though something sets Chiron aside.

Dr Schambeau explained: "These results are like nothing we've seen before.

"These detections enhance our understanding of Chiron's interior composition and how that material produces the unique behaviours as we observe Chiron."

Chiron is different to other Centaurs (Space Engine)

What sets Chiron apart from the rest?

The surface of this Centaur actually contained chemicals such as CO2, methane and frozen water, all of which predate the formation of our solar system.

Dr Schambeau continued: "It's an oddball when compared to the majority of other Centaurs.

"It has periods where it behaves like a comet, it has rings of material around it, and potentially a debris field of small dust or rocky material orbiting around it."

But it's the tail of dust and gas that's the most interesting, as most objects that far into space are usually too cold or don't have the ice to create a tail.

Comets can, though they are closer to the sun, as Dr Pinilla-Alonso explains: "What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface, where most of the ices can be found, and the coma, where we see gases that are originating from the surface or just below it.

"Discovering which gases are part of the coma and their different relationships with the ices on the surface helps us learn the physical and chemical properties, such as the thickness and the porosity of the ice layer, its composition, and how irradiation is affecting it."

The pair's findings were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Centaurs can be found between Jupiter and Neptune (Getty Stock Photo)

Pinilla-Alonso further explains: “All the small bodies in the Solar System talk to us about how it was back in time, which is a period of time we can’t really observe anymore,

“But active centaurs tell us much more. They are undergoing transformation driven by solar heating and they provide a unique opportunity to learn about the surface and subsurface layers.”

“What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface, where most of the ices can be found, and the coma, where we see gases that are originating from the surface or just below it,” the scientist highlighted.

“We’re going to follow up with Chiron,

“It will come closer to us, and if we can study it at nearer distances and get better reads on the quantities and nature of the ices, silicates, and organics, we will be able to better understand how seasonal insolation variations and different illumination patterns can affect its behavior and its ice reservoir.”