Title: A binary main belt comet,
Abstract: The asteroids are primitive solar system bodies which evolve both
collisionally and through disruptions due to rapid rotation [1]. These
processes can lead to the formation of binary asteroids [2-4] and to the
release of dust [5], both directly and, in some cases, through uncovering
frozen volatiles. In a sub-set of the asteroids called main-belt comets (MBCs),
the sublimation of excavated volatiles causes transient comet-like activity
[6-8]. Torques exerted by sublimation measurably influence the spin rates of
active comets [9] and might lead to the splitting of bilobate comet nuclei
[10]. The kilometer-sized main-belt asteroid 288P (300163) showed activity for
several months around its perihelion 2011 [11], suspected to be sustained by
the sublimation of water ice [12] and supported by rapid rotation [13], while
at least one component rotates slowly with a period of 16 hours [14]. 288P is
part of a young family of at least 11 asteroids that formed from a ~10km
diameter precursor during a shattering collision 7.5 million years ago [15].
Here we report that 288P is a binary main-belt comet. It is different from the
known asteroid binaries for its combination of wide separation, near-equal
component size, high eccentricity, and comet-like activity. The observations
also provide strong support for sublimation as the driver of activity in 288P
and show that sublimation torques may play a significant role in binary orbit
evolution.