6. Pizarro Elst
Found Year: 1979
Who Found It: Guido Pizarro and Eric W. Elst
Location: Mars and Jupiter’s asteroid belt
The scientific community felt certain that Elst-Pizarro was an asteroid since it was discovered in the Asteroid Belt. All of that changed, though, over 20 years after its discovery, when a comet-like tail was observed trailing the putative “asteroid.”
Pizarro Elst ©Wikimedia Commons/ESO
Elst-Pizarro may be an asteroid in disguise, according to one idea, although some scientists are certain that it is a comet. And that Elst-Pizarro must have run into another rock, exposing an icy layer that had been vanishing from the vibrant track. All we can be certain of is that further investigation is required to uncover the truth.
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