NASA Study Finds Near-Earth Asteroid Is Actually Comet

For nearly three decades, nineteen ninety-eight SH2 was cataloged as an asteroid—until the summer of twenty twenty-five, when NASA astronomers realized it had strayed from its predicted orbit. Using powerful ground-based telescopes, they spotted what earlier surveys had missed: a faint but distinct comet tail. The object, NASA News reports, produces gas when solar heat converts subsurface ice into vapor, but in much smaller quantities than typical comets—which explains why the signs went undetected for so long. The discovery matters for planetary defense: these faint comets are harder to track than asteroids, and understanding their properties could affect how astronomers assess risks from near-Earth objects.

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