Lowell Observatory astronomer confirms new class of comets

Lowell Observatory astronomer confirms new class of comets Comet 96P/Machholz 1's anomalous compositional characteristics help pinpoint its origin to one of three intriguing scenarios. David Schleicher, Lowell Observatory planetary astronomer, measured abundances of five molecular species in the comae of 150 comets and discovered that one comet, 96P/Machholz 1, has an unusual chemistry. The cause of this chemical anomaly remains unknown, but each of three possible explanations yields important but differing constraints on the evolution of comets.