Beyond the orbit of Jupiter is the so-called zone with asteroids. Here they go into "full" comets.

A comet is a space object made up of ice, rocks and dust. They are very difficult to notice in space, even using powerful technology. Only if they approach the Sun, the outer layers of ice heat up. Because of this, with the comet we see the tail, and near it - the so-called coma. Asteroids do not give signals at all when approaching the Sun, so they are also difficult to notice.

There are astronomical objects - centaurs, which combine the characteristics of comets and asteroids. They are so named by analogy with mythical creatures - half-humans and half-horses. Centaurs are a transitional class of astronomical objects - from asteroids to comets. On their surface there is a large amount of easily evaporating substances: when approaching the Sun, the indicated object begins to behave like a comet.

It is widely believed that most centaurs are in the Kuiper belt. It is located beyond the orbit of Neptune and consists of a large number of ice objects. As a result of the attraction of this giant planet, their orbits deviate somewhat, and the centaurs migrate closer to the main star of the solar system.

Inside our star system, centaurs become objects of the Jovian family. They are located relatively close to the largest planet and, under the influence of the rays of the sun, find their tails. And the larger the tail of this cosmic body, the closer it should be to the main star.For a long time, astronomers did not know exactly how the centaur transforms into a comet.

For this, astronomers created a model on a computer and recreated the orbit of comet 29P Schwassman-Wachmann, having a diameter of about 65 km. It is interesting in that it has a pronounced activity and produces emissions, despite the fact that it is located relatively far from the Sun. The study of this comet suggested that it is the middle link in the evolution between the centaur and the comet located near Jupiter.

Further research by astronomers and the study of the orbit of the Schwartzman-Wachmann comet suggest that the region of the solar system where this cosmic body is located serves as the source for most comets in this part of the universe. In the area beyond Jupiter, there must be at least 1000 centaurs. And this is twice as much as scientists previously thought.

The development of astronomical science and research tools will make it possible to find even more objects beyond the orbit of Jupiter, which can be the source of comets observed from the Earth. Perhaps this will give an answer to the question of how comets are formed in the solar system and whether they are dangerous for our home.