Interstellar Interloper 2I Borisov
Explanation:
After the 2017 detecton of 1I/'Oumuamua,
comet
2I/Borisov has become
the second recognized interstellar interloper.
Like 'Oumuamua, Borisov's measured hyperbolic trajectory and speed as
it falls toward the Sun confirm that its origin is from
beyond our Solar System.
But while detailed observations indicate
'Oumuamua
is a rocky body
with differences from known Solar System objects,
Borisov is definitely a far wandering comet.
Taken on October 12, 2019 this
Hubble Space Telescope image of Borisov
reveals a familiar looking comet-like activity
and concentration of dust around around its nucleus.
Not resolved in the image, some estimates suggest the nucleus could be
between 2 and 16 kilometers in diameter.
At the time of the Hubble image,
comet 2I/Borisov was about 418 million kilometers away.
Borisov is still inbound though and will make its closest approach
to the Sun on December 7 at
a distance of about 300 million kilometers (2 Astronomical units).
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
