Just like planets, asteroids can not be counted. Space objects have different shapes and sizes.
Latest, a group of NASA astronomers found a new asteroid with unique characteristics. Based on the observation, the asteroid is twin-shaped and is called 5,000 years old.
According to what was launched Mirror, Sunday (09/24/2017), these twin asteroids have a 'tail' where the end has a shard of rocks. The tail makes its shape glimpse like a comet.
The US space agency astronomer is known to work with German astronomers to further examine these twin asteroids.
They also use the Hubble Space Telescope to observe binary asteroids located in the belt region between Mars and Jupiter.
The discovery of twin asteroids is published by astronomers in the journal Nature. A pair of asteroids known as 288P are known to be located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Mars.
Astronomers believe these twin asteroids come from an asteroid that breaks out in space.
"The scenario of our alleged formation is that 288P ruptures due to rapid rotation.After rupture, the fragment between the asteroids split into two," says 288P researcher astronomer Jessica Agarwal.
Agarwal continued, it is very rare for astronomers to find a binary asteroid that is also a comet.
The reason, both asteroids and comets are different. Asteroids are natural objects that also circle a planet, smaller in size than the planets are surrounded.
The comet is a natural object similar to the asteroid, but the composition is formed from carbon dioxide gas, methane, water, and frozen dust. Orbit comets are usually also elliptical and longer than the orbit of an asteroid to a planet.