Impact–generated activity period of the asteroid 7968 Elst–Pizarro in 1996: Identification of the asteroid 427 Galene as the most probable parent body of the impactors

One of the most interesting objects among the small bodies in the Solar System is the intermediate object 7968 Elst– Pizarro classified as an asteroid–comet orbiting in the Themis region of the main belt, which showed a temporary dust tail activity in 1996. The impact-induced processes generated by multiple collisions with a debris cloud associated with another asteroid, are the preferred explanations for this activity. A computer search has shown that the most probable candidate for the parent body of the impactors to generate this temporary outburst activity, is the field asteroid 427 Galene.