A Lazarus comet is a small body within the
main asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is a torus-shaped region in the Solar System, located roughly between the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Mars. It contains a great many solid, irregularly shaped bodies, of many sizes, but much smaller than planets, called ...
that is not an
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
, but a
comet that has been trapped and may be re-energized into being a live comet. Astronomers are referring to this region of the
asteroid belt as a comet graveyard, but calling these comets "
Lazarus" because of their potential to be "resurrected".
See also
*
List of astronomical objects named after people
This is a list of astronomical objects named after people. While topological features on Solar System bodies — such as craters, mountains, and valleys — are often named after famous or historical individuals, many stars and deep-sky objects a ...
References
Comets
{{comet-stub