2i/Borisov: The New Mysterious Interstellar Object!
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There is a new object in space that has caught the eyes of many. But what is 2i/Borisov? And why should we care about it so much? Allow us to explore that with you!
8. What is 2i/Borisov?
Despite its fancy name, there is a very simple explanation for what 2i/Borisov is...it's a comet. I know on the surface of things that doesn't sound very impressive, "Why should we care about a comet?" But the real thing here isn't that it's a comet, it's that 2i/Borisov is a comet that comes from outside our solar system and is now here.
7. Here One Year, Gone The Next
The irony of this object is that while it's in our solar system right now, and is traveling at an incredible 110,000 miles per hour, it won't stay in our solar system for too long in galactic terms. That is because the comet is flying on a hyperbolic path, which means it's going around the sun and it's gravity in such a way that it's not even slowing down. Which make it even more fascinating because most objects in our solar system get stuck around the sun unless they have their own propulsion.
6. Why Do Comets Matter In The Grander Scale Of The Universe?
5. What Is 2i/Borisov like?
So despite the fact that scientists are hoping to get more information on 2i/Borisov in the upcoming months/year, we do have some indication of what it is and what it isn't, right? Well, yes, we do. As noted, we know it's a comet, and that's an important thing because it helped visually define the interstellar object.
4. How Did We Discover 2i/Borisov
So everyone involved in space programs are marveling at this very special interstellar object, but where and when did we exactly discover that this thing was even close to us? Well that would be via on August 30th, 2019 by amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov at his personal observatory MARGO. Yes, some people have their own personal observatories...totally not jealous.
Oh, and the telescope that he used to find the comet? Yeah, he made that himself too, still not jealous...at all...
Here is the discovery in the words of Borisov himself:
"I observed it on August 29, but it was August 30 Greenwich Time. I saw a moving object in the frame, it moved in a direction that was slightly different from that of main asteroids. I measured its coordinates and consulted the Minor Planet Center database. Turned out, it was a new object. Then I measured the near-Earth object rating, it is calculated from various parameters, and it turned out to be 100% – in other words, dangerous. In such cases I must immediately post the parameters to the world webpage for confirmation of dangerous asteroids. I posted it and wrote that the object was diffuse and that it was not an asteroid, but a comet."
As you can see, it was a very big discovery, and that's why the asteroid was named after him because it really was his discovery. And how cool is that? That this guy who made his own telescope in his own observatory found an interstellar object BEFORE NASA and all the other space programs? Kind of motivates you to try out your own kind of stuff, huh?
After that, the other space agencies grabbed onto it and started doing the research that traced its origins and more.
As well as how it connected to another object in space...
3. How Does 2i/Borisov Connect To Oumuamua?
I know what you are thinking, what is a Oumuamua? Well, it's technically the universes first interstellar object, you know, the one that came before 2i/Borisov? It was an object that was found in 2017 by scientists.
2. The Major Differences Between 2i Borisov and Oumuamua
With both Oumuamua and 2i/Borisov, we have a pair of interstellar objects that have gotten a lot of attention in the world today. But as scientists continue to study the latter, the former becomes even odder in their eyes. So much so that they're kind of relieved that 2i/Borisov is so normal compared to the long thin toothpick like Oumuamua.
Here's another take on the differences:
“Whereas ‘Oumuamua looked like bare rock, Borisov is really active, more like a normal comet,” David Jewitt of UCLA, leader of the Hubble team who observed the comet, said in a statement. “It’s a puzzle why these two are so different.”
It is odd, isn't it? Theoretically speaking they shouldn't be so different as they're both comets in one way or another. Yet, one has a coma, and the other doesn't. One is round, one is long and thin, one is on a constant trajectory, and the other is going faster and faster as it travels through space. What is the deal here?
Why is it that these objects are so different yet they're technically the same thing?
1. The Future Of Space Comets