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An international team of astronomers detected gas molecules in a newly discovered comet that may have originated outside our solar system.
This marks the first time scientists have been able to observe this type of material in an interstellar object.
Comet 2I/Borisov is named after amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov of Crimea, who spotted the celestial body using a telescope he built himself.
The encounter helps boost research into exactly what these objects are made of and how our solar system compares with others in the galaxy.
“For the first time we are able to accurately measure what an interstellar visitor is made of, and compare it with our own solar system,” Alan Fitzsimmons, a professor of astrophysics at Queen’s University Belfast, said in a statement.
Along with colleagues from Europe, the U.S., and Chile, Fitzsimmons used the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma in the Canary Islands to detect the gas in the comet.
“Our first attempt was on Friday, [September 13], but we were unlucky and were thwarted by the brightness of the sky so close to the sun,” he said. “But the next attempt was successful.”
The team was able to pass 2I/Borisov’s faint light through a spectrograph, measuring how much luminescence it emitted as a function of wavelength.
“A spectrum allows us to detect individual types of gas by their spectral fingerprints,” Fitzsimmons explained. “We received the data at midday, and by 5 p.m. that evening we knew we had successfully detected gas for the first time.”
Specifically cyanogen: a chemical compound made of carbon and nitrogen that is relatively common in comets, but can be toxic if inhaled.
Despite its typical makeup, though, 2I/Borisov is anything but ordinary.
“We are used to seeing comet images, but this one is so special,” according to research analyst Emmanuel Jehin, who is monitoring the comet using the TRAPPIST-North telescope in Morocco.
“Looking at it nearly every morning for two weeks now, I’m fascinated by the fact this object is not like the many others I have been observing, but is truly coming from another star probably very far away,” he added.
The comet was likely born 4.6 billion years ago—along with millions of others in our solar system—but has come from an (as yet) unidentified star system.
Boasting a condensed coma and short tail, the unambiguously astral object is only the second known to have passed through our solar system (hence “2I”). The first, ‘Oumuamua, was identified two years ago.
Early reports of the odd foreigner led people to believe it could be an alien spacecraft. Recent analysis, unfortunately, suggests otherwise.
The jury is still out on whether 2I/Borisov will answer those prayers.
Based on its fuzzy appearance, scientists believe the object has a central icy body a few kilometers in diameter that is melting into a cloud of dust and particles as it approaches the sun.
The object will peak in brightness by the new year, before beginning its outbound journey, eventually leaving the solar system forever.
Little else is known about the intergalactic visitor.
“The next year is going to be extremely exciting, as we will be able to follow 2I’s evolution as it zooms through our solar system,” the European Southern Observatory’s Oliver Hainaut said. “In comparison, we had only a few weeks to study ‘Oumuamua before it became too faint.”
The ESA recently approved a space mission that may visit a future interstellar guest.
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