A team of scientists has found a new active asteroid resembling a comet in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Asteroid 62412 is the first comet-like object seen in the Hygeia family of asteroids, according to the two-person team of Carnegie's Scott Sheppard and Chadwick Trujillo at the Gemini Observatory.

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Active asteroids sometimes appear comet-like by ejecting gas or dust to form an intermittent tail compared to regular asteroids that don't do this.

It's only recently that active asteroids are recognized as a phenomenon. Asteroid 62412 is only the 13th known active asteroid in the main asteroid belt in the solar system. It was discovered a decade ago.

The unexpected discovery of a tail on 62412 was made only recently. The result of the study reclassified 62412 as an active asteroid.  The tail is caused by dust or gas being ejected from the comet's surface.

The team said they don't know the reasons behind the loss of material and subsequent tail in active asteroids. They have several theories like recent impacts or sublimation from solid to gas of exposed ices to explain the phenomenon.

"Until about ten years ago, it was pretty obvious what a comet was and what a comet wasn't, but that is all changing as we realize that not all of these objects show activity all of the time," Sheppard said.

There are previous reports that asteroids are the most unchanging objects. But an improved ability to observe them has allowed scientists to discover tails and comas, which are the thin envelope of an atmosphere that surrounds a comet's nucleus.

The new discovery will help other researchers find out the processes that cause some asteroids to become active.

The two scientists will present their findings at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Sciences.

Tagsactive asteroid, comet tail on asteroid, solar system, Comet-like Asteroid 62412, 62412, Asteroid Belt, comet, asteroid