Don Quixote has been considered asteroidal since its discovery in 1983, despite its comet-like orbit. We found activity in this object during its 2009 and 2018 apparitions, leading us to believe that it really is an active comet. But are there other objects like Don Quixote? I monitored a sample of ~100 asteroids that are somewhat likely to turn active, too, over a period of more than 4 years. Bottom line: Don Quixote is rather unique.

Dead comets are small bodies that appear as inactive asteroids, but have a cometary origin. Some of these objects might still harbor ices and can still activate and appear comet-like. Since these objects might signifcantly contribute to the volatile reservoir of the asteroid population, it is important to understand how many of these objects there are.