Are scientists watching Centaur 450P/LONEOS begin to transform into a comet?

Yes. Researchers are observing 450P/LONEOS developing comet-like activity, including a faint coma of gas and dust, after its orbit shifted closer to the Sun.

Gemini North images tracked the coma between 2019 and 2024, while JWST detected carbon dioxide around the object and signs of icy dust. The study, accepted for publication and available as a preprint, says carbon dioxide is likely driving the activity.

This does not mean 450P has completed its evolution into a Jupiter-family comet. The researchers describe it as an active centaur that may be showing an early transition stage, so the careful conclusion is that scientists are watching the process begin.