What is a damocloid?
Q: What is a damocloid?
A: A damocloid is an asteroid that takes a long time to orbit the Sun and is similar to periodic comets but does not have a tail.
Q: What distinguishes damocloids from comets?
A: Damocloids don't have a tail like comets.
Q: What is the possible origin of damocloids?
A: Scientists believe damocloids come from the Oort cloud.
Q: How are some damocloids able to develop a tail and become comets?
A: Some damocloids like C/2001 OG108 (LONEOS) have later developed tails and become comets.
Q: How do the orbits of some damocloids differ from other asteroids?
A: Some damocloids orbit in the opposite direction to asteroids and in the same direction as comets.
Q: What is the current number of known damocloids?
A: By January 2010, scientists had found 41 damocloids.
Q: What do scientists think causes some damocloids to become dormant?
A: Scientists think that damocloids become dormant when they lose their volatile material.
