Monday 3 May 2010

Centaurs (Astro-)

The centaurs are an unstable orbital class of minor planets named after the mythological race of centaurs. The name was chosen because they behave as half asteroid and half comet. Centaurs have transient orbits that cross or have crossed the orbits of one or more of the giant planets, and have dynamical lifetimes of a few million years.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur_(planetoid)

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