Damocloid

A damocloid is an asteroid that takes a long time to orbit the Sun. They are very similar to the periodic comets, like Halley's Comet, but a damocloid does not have a tail like a comet. They are believed to be comets that have lost their volatile material and are dormant. Scientists think that they come from the Oort cloud. This is because some damocloids, such as C/2001 OG₁₀₈ (LONEOS), later developed tails and became comets. Some damocloids also orbit in the same direction as comets, which is the opposite direction to asteroids. By January 2010, scientists had found 41 damocloids.

Other websites

• David Jewitt, A first look at the Damocloids