"Hubble Spots Comet Near Jupiter"
Hubble took this image of the comet P/2019 LD2, and its 400,000-mile-long tail.
It was found near the Trojan asteroids...
...believed to be leftover material from the formation of the outer planets billions of years ago.
The Trojans orbit the Sun in two groups, with one group trailing behind Jupiter and the other leading ahead in its path.
This is the first time a comet has been discovered near the Trojan asteroids.
The comet came from a region of icy debris beyond Neptune’s orbit, called the Kuiper belt.
After traveling for billions of miles, it was captured by Jupiter’s powerful gravity.
But the unexpected guest will not stay among the asteroids for very long.
Computer simulations show that Jupiter will kick the comet into the inner solar system.
Simulations also show that in about 500,000 years, there’s a 90 percent chance...
...that it will be ejected from the solar system and become an interstellar comet.
Until then, Hubble’s views help us better understand the comet P/2019 LD2.
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