Asteroid 6478 Gault

[Metryq]

Been busy, and I just saw the space news on asteroid 6478 Gault. From what little I've read, it has formed a "comet-like" tail, possibly from a collision with another asteroid, which is the official word. I'm sure this crowd can think of other mechanisms that cause comet-like tails, rather than collision debris.

Maybe some ETs stopped to do a little electronic repair, and a grounding strap got loose.

[D_Archer]

More main belt asteroids do this sometimes.

It is just a build up of charge, most likely scenario is long term interaction with the solar wind, the surfaces of these asteroids are charged over long periods of time, showing occasionally an electric discharge event, this could be triggered by a shift in position, some extra input from the sun* ,a change in rotation, no bolide impact is needed.

Regards,
Daniel

*and all other planets that also emit charge (ie photons), certain alignments can also cause this, we would not just have to track the solar wind strength at that position but also the alignment of all other planets at that time it started to show a tail.

[a31ford]

So, my two cents worth, What if, that is a cold plasma cloud ? Would account for the surface buildup, and also the electronics, repair, and missing ground strap...