Impact-Induced Activity of The Asteroid-Comet P/1996N2 Elst-Pizarro: Yes or No?

Abstract

AbstractP/1996 N2 Elst-Pizarro was discovered with a tail of dust in July 1996 and was thus classified as periodic comet. From the orbit point of view it belongs to the outer asteroid belt and is very likely a member of the Themis family, a group of bodies originating from an asteroid collision.The absence of a coma and the presence of the needle-like anti-tail in August 1996 did not exclude the possibility of a sudden emission event which could have been caused by the impact of another minor body on the object. However, with the development of a normal tail between September and November 1996 it became obvious that the dust emission episode continued at least for 2 months after perihelion, a scenario that is typical for gas-driven cometary activity. However, it is still possible that a collision triggered the event.The paper summarizes the observational pro and cons for impact-induced activity in this object, possibly the first ever detected comet-asteroid of the solar system.