Weird asteroid discovered

A UNIQUE “weirdo asteroid” has been found in the outer reaches of the solar system and astronomers aren’t sure why it is there.

Astronomers found that the unusual Kuiper Belt Object 2004 EW95 is a 300km wide carbonrich asteroid, the first of its kind in the cold outer reaches of the Solar System.

This curious object, a relic of the primordial Solar System, is believed to have formed in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but has been flung billions of kilometres from its origin to its current home in the Kuiper Belt.

The peculiar nature of 2004 EW95 first came to light during routine observations with the

Nasa/ESA Hubble Space Telescope by Wesley

Fraser, an astronomer from Queen’s University

Belfast who was also a member of the team behind this discovery.

“The reflectance spectrum of 2004 EW95 was clearly distinct from the other observed outer Solar System objects,” explains lead author Seccull. “It looked enough of a weirdo for us to take a closer look.”

Measurements from multiple instruments at ESO’s Very

Large Telescope, a small team of astronomers led by Seccull was able to measure the composition of the Kuiper Belt Object 2004 EW95, finding it is a carbonaceous asteroid.

Though the object is

300km across, it is currently a colossal four billion kilometres from Earth, making gathering a demanding scientific challenge.

“It’s like observing a giant mountain of coal against the pitch-black canvas of the night sky,” said co-author Thomas Puzia from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. – Daily Mail