Astronomers Discover First Tailless Manx Comet

(Photo : Getty Image/NASA) For the first time, astronomers have discovered a comet without a tail.

For the first time, astronomers have discovered a comet without a tail.

The composition of the tailless comet may provide clues into the formation and evolution of the inner solar system, writes Reuters.

The comet, named "Manx" after a tailless breed of cats, was comprised of rocky materials similar to those usually located near Earth. Most comets originated in the frozen reaches of the solar system and are comprised of icy and frozen compounds.

However, researchers believe that the comet's composition could indicate that the newly discovered comet formed in the same vicinity as Earth, before being propelled into the solar system.

Researchers are now looking to uncover whether there are more Manx comets in existence. Clues provided by the discovery of other Manx comets could answer questions about the current configuration of the solar system.

"Depending how many we find, we will know whether the giant planets danced across the solar system when they were young, or if they grew up quietly without moving much," paper co-author Olivier Hainaut, an astronomer with the European Southern Observatory in Germany, said in a statement.

The Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System - also known as Pan-STARRS, discovered the new comet, called C/2014 S3, in 2014. This telescope network searches the night skies for signs of comets, asteroids and other celestial bodies.

Comets travelling in the same direction as the Manx generally grow bright tails as they get closer to the sun's heat and its rays begin the vaporize comet's icy exterior.

In contrast, the C/2014 S3 comet was dark and almost tailless when the telescope first discovered it at a distance twice as far from the sun as Earth.

Researchers later found that the Manx comet was made up of materials similar to rocky asteroids generally found in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter - instead of a typical icy exterior.

The study was published in the journal Science Advances.