Astronomers have found giant remains of a massive cosmic collision beyond Neptune.
The collision would have occurred between objects one of which would have been half the size of Pluto.
These remains could one day cross the orbit of Neptune and become the biggest comet ever known. But this could only happen after billions of years.
The parent body is thought to be 2003 EL61 and is one of the largest objects in the Kuiper Belt. It has a diameter of about 930 miles, but it is believed to be 20% larger before the collision took place.
2003 EL61 is thought to have collided with an object in the distant past, which was half its size and traveling at 7,000 mph.
The collision resulted in a massive release of Energy which would have equaled the energy released after the explosion of 10 billion nuclear bombs.
The collision might look to be enormous but considering other similar explosions in the universe this one can be termed as ‘tiny’.
Astronomers have also stated that this discovery is a ‘milestone in Kuiper Belt Science’.
Such collisions are very rare in the Solar System, so astronomers have stated that this explosion could have taken place some 4.5 billion years back when the region was more crowded than it is today.
Via: space
