NASA Video Shows Comet Borisov Visiting From Outside Our Solar System

Comet Borisov was photographed at a distance of 260 million miles (about 41.84 crore km) from Earth.

NASA Video Shows Comet Borisov Visiting From Outside Our Solar System

Photo Credit: NASA, ESA and J. DePasquale (STScI)

An image of Comet Borisov captured by the Hubble telescope on October 12, 2019

Highlights
  • Amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov discovered Comet Borisov in 2019
  • Comet Borisov is the second interstellar object to enter our solar system
  • Comet Borisov may have originated around a red dwarf according to NASA
Advertisement

NASA's Hubble telescope has captured the interstellar visitor Comet Borisov to our solar system and shared its movement as a runaway point of light in a time-lapse video. The agency said that it “was a rocky visit”. Discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov in 2019, it is the first confirmed comet to enter our solar system from outside our Sun's influence. Comet Borisov is the only second interstellar object to ever enter our solar system: the first such visitor was an object officially named "Oumuamua". It came within 24 million miles of the Sun before moving out.

However, the more interesting thing about these interstellar visits is that both these objects are very different from each other, throwing a puzzle at scientists to solve. While both appear to be rocky, Borisov is really active, more like a normal comet. It is also relatively small, about the length of nine football fields (0.98 km). Specifically, NASA said, Borisov has a higher concentration of carbon monoxide, suggesting it may have originated around the most common type of star in the Milky Way: a red dwarf.

Comets within the solar system are snowballs of ice, dust and frozen gas, and they orbit the Sun. In their frozen state, they are the size of a small town. When they come closer to the Sun while orbiting it, they heat up and release dust and gases into a giant tail that can extend for millions of kilometres.

Hubble photographed the comet at a distance of 260 million miles (about 41.84 crore km) from Earth. Borisov made its closest approach to the Sun in December 2019, around the time it was first noticed, at twice the distance between Earth and Sun, NASA said previously.

Comets hold a great deal of information about a planetary system's ancient past. So, astronomers are always on the lookout for these objects and gain insights. NASA says comets from our solar neighbourhood reveal the history of materials, including water, that made Earth the planet we know today, as well as our other planetary neighbours.

“On the other hand, an interstellar comet like Borisov is a chemical ambassador from an entirely different star system—containing a treasure trove of clues to worlds too far to reach with modern technology,” the agency added.


Should you buy a 4G or 5G budget phone? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Vivo X80 Series Launch in China Set for April 25, Teased to Come With Zeiss Optics
Realme Pad Mini Name Spotted on Official Website Ahead of Launch in India
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »