This meteor shower's 'fizzing' asteroid acts like a comet
CNN
Phaethon, the source of the Geminid meteor shower, has intrigued scientists for years because it's an asteroid that behaves like a comet. New research may reveal the reason why this oddball gets so bright as it approaches the sun: fizzing sodium.
Asteroids and comets both orbit the sun, but asteroids are made of metals and rocky material while comets are made of different kinds of ice, rock and dust. When their orbits bring comets closer to the sun, they heat up. These frozen objects from the edge of the solar system release dust and rock as their ices vaporize, creating signature tails that can stretch for millions of miles.Venezuelan authorities are investigating opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for alleged treason after she expressed support for a US bipartisan bill that seeks to block Washington from doing business with any entity that has commercial ties with the government of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.