InterstellarComet 2I / Borisovwas fall upon in September 2019 as it start to approach the internal Solar System from the depths of infinite . As it got closer to the Sun , it got hot and set off releasing more and more material from its Interior Department . What at first looked very interchangeable to comets in our Solar System , however , has deform out to be very different .
The observance let on that Comet Borisov is rich in carbon paper monoxide ( CO ) chicken feed ; way richer than any comet within 300 million kilometers ( 180 million miles ) from the Sun . Water is ordinarily the most abundant particle in the comatoseness of comet in our Solar System , however , detection of CO in Borisov ’s coma point 0.7–1.7 times as much CO as piddle . The finding come from two independent study both published in Nature Astronomy , one using theHubble Space Telescopeand the other using theAtacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array(ALMA ) .
The new enquiry paints a clearer picture of the formation of Comet Borisov : It did not imprint close to its mavin but further out in a inhuman neighborhood , and was likely kick out of its original star system by a clear asterisk or jumbo planet , sending it on a journey for zillion if not billions of days to reach us .
“ This is the first prison term we ’ve ever look inside a comet from outside our Solar System and it is dramatically dissimilar from most other comets we ’ve get wind before , ” co - lead writer astrochemist Martin Cordiner , from the NASA ’s Goddard Space Flight Center , say in astatement .
“ The comet must have formed from material very rich in CO ice , which is only present at the low temperatures found in space , below -420 degrees Fahrenheit ( -250 degrees Celsius ) , ” supply the co - lead author planetary scientist Stefanie Milam , also from Goddard .
Its journey through the Solar System was disastrous for the comet , and the latest observations show thatit broke aparta few months after its closest passage to the Sun , which took place in December 2019 . observation of Comet Borisov , our first - ever interstellar comet , continue . astronomer require to know as much as possible about this target , although we wo n’t know how distinctive it is among the newly pick up class of interstellar comets until we line up more .
“ 2I / Borisov gave us the first glimpse into the chemical science that shape another planetal system of rules , ” explained Milam . “ But only when we can compare the object to other interstellar comets , will we learn whether 2I / Borisov is a special instance , or if every interstellar object has unusually high level of CO . ”
