Centaur (minor planet)

The centaur, named after the centaur of Greek mythology, are a class of asteroids that move between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune around the Sun (see also List of asteroids - Centaurs ).

In some centaurs, Pholus, for example, frozen water was discovered on the surface, while others like Chiron no water ice could be proven so far. Probably the Centaurs " extinct " comets whose original volatile constituents such as water ice or methane, meanwhile, are more or less sublimated. However, for instance, the Chiron Centaur, since a halo was found, also classified as a comet.

The three first discovered Centaurs are

• 2060 Chiron (1977 )
• 5145 Pholus (1992) and
• 7066 Nessus (1993).