* Astronomy

Chiron, originally given the very temporary title "Slow-Moving Object Kowal", was given the provisional minor planet designation 1977 UB. Later it was given the permanent minor planet number and name (2060) Chiron. All along, there were discussions it might be a comet, and definite cometary activity was noticed, at least some of the time, beginning around 1988. The change in the comet-designation system introduced at the beginning of 1995 (and applicable in retrospect), allowed us to modify the provisional designation to P/1977 UB, P/ indicating that it is a short-period comet. This set the scene for giving it a permanent short-period comet number, 95P, which can be combined with the name to give 95P/Chiron. This is probably what it is best called. However, since it WAS previously given a PERMANENT minor-planet number, it ALSO retains the number (2060). So the object is permanently classified as BOTH a comet and a minor planet. There is really no conflict with this. For astrometric purposes and most orbital purposes we continue to call it (2060) Chiron and classify it with the minor planets. For some orbital purposes it can also be 95P/Chiron. For physical purposes the observer can choose which he or she feels is more appropriate. Pholus and the other centaurs have not shown cometary behaviour, so they remain only in the minor-planet category.
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2060 Chiron is a planetoid in the outer Solar System. Discovered in 1977 by Charles T. Kowal (precovery images have been found as far back as 1895), it was the first known member of a new class of objects now known as centaurs, with an orbit between those of Saturn and Uranus.
Although it was initially classified as an asteroid, it was later found to exhibit behaviour typical of a comet. Today it is classified as both, and accordingly it is also known by the cometary designation 95P/Chiron.

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