Damocloid - Definition and Overview

Damocloids are asteroids such as 5335 Damocles and (16746) 1996 PW that have long-period highly eccentric orbits typical of periodic comets such as 1P/Halley, but without showing a cometary coma or tail.

The object 2001 OG₁₀₈ was thought to be a Damocloid, but as it approached perihelion it began to display cometary activity and was thus renamed Comet C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS).

They are believed to originate from the Oort cloud.

External link

• List of Damocloids (ftp://ftp.lowell.edu/pub/bas/damocloid)

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