In a first, astronomers spotted a space rock turning into a comet

The process won’t be complete until 2063

comet

Space rocks called centaurs could someday become brilliant comets, like the one shown in this artist’s illustration. Astronomers have spotted a centaur that is expected to become a comet in about four decades.

Heather Roper/Univ. of Arizona

Like the mythical half-human, half-horse creatures, centaurs in the solar system are hybrids between asteroids and comets.