HST Spots X Pattern Asteroid - X Files?

This image provided by NASA shows a mystery object that was discovered on Jan 6 by the LINEAR sky survey. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was used to take this close-up look.

It shows a bizarre X-pattern of filamentary structures near the point-like nucleus of the object and trailing streamers of dust.

This complex structure suggests the object is not a comet but instead the product of a head-on collision between two asteroids

Picture: AP / NASA