Charles Schambeau's UCF team observes centaur 450P/LONEOS becoming comet

Technology Sep 04, 2026

Astronomers just watched something you don't see every day: a centaur (basically, an icy object from way out between Jupiter and Neptune) actually transforming into a comet.

This happened with 450P/LONEOS, and the team led by planetary scientist Charles Schambeau at the University of Central Florida is pretty excited about it.

JWST detects CO2 driving 450P/LONEOS

The big change was spotted as 450P swung closest to the Sun in August 2024.

Thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists found that carbon dioxide, not water vapor, was fueling its activity, likely because its orbit changed after a close call with Saturn back in 1992.

This rare event helps researchers understand how these mysterious icy bodies evolve and could reveal more about where comets come from.