Origins for the near-Earth asteroids.

Because of their short dynamical lifetimes, the population of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) must be resupplied. Two sources have been hypothesized: main-belt asteroids and extinct comet nuclei. The difficulty of making physical measurements for similar sized (diameter D less than 5 kilometers) main-belt asteroids and comet nuclei has limited comparative tests for distinguishing between these alternatives.

Detection of CN Emission from (2060) Chiron.

In the past decade there has been a gradual, but substantial change in our understanding of the physical nature of (2060) Chiron. Once thought to be the first known member of a population of asteroids orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, Chiron is now generally regarded as the largest known comet. The detection of CN emission in the spectrum of Chiron is reported.