Astronomers will be able to confirm that the object actually is a comet based on the halo (or “tail”) that will result. water, carbon dioxide, methane, ammonia) to sublimate and be released. This will be caused by temperature increases on its surface, causing its frozen volatiles (i.e. This distance will place it outside of the orbit of Mars, and therefore doesn’t fit the definition of Near-Earth Object (NEO).Īssuming C/2019 Q4 is a comet, it will begin to outgas once it reaches the closest point in its path around our Sun. It is expected to make its closest approach of the Sun in early December, reaching a distance of about 300 million km (186 million mi) or just over twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun (2 AU). NASA’s Scout system, which monitors newly-discovered asteroids and comets as part of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), indicated that it had an unusual orbit shortly thereafter.Īt this point, what is known is that C/2019 Q4 is a relatively large and active comet that measures a few km in diameter. The new object has been designated C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) in honor of Gennady Borisov, an astronomer with the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory who first detected the object on August 30th. And as it turns out, astronomers with NASA, the ESA, and the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) announced the detection of what could be a second interstellar object! Could this be ‘Oumuamua 2.0? And if so, what mysteries might it present? After multiple surveys were conducted, scientists were left scratching their heads as to what this object was – which speculation ranging from it being a comet or an asteroid to comet fragment or even an extra-terrestrial solar sail!īut one of the greatest takeaways from that event was the discovery that such objects pass through our Solar System on a regular basis (and some stay). ![]() ![]() In 2017, astronomers and the world were surprised to learn that an interstellar object (named ‘Oumuamua) passed by Earth on its way to the outer Solar System.
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