Comet Borisov was detected back in the summer of 2019 by a team of astronomers from the ESA and NASA at the ISON (the International Scientific Optical Network). The space object was determined as an interstellar visitor spotted passed through our Solar System.
Studying comets was one of the astronomers’ interest for decades. Such cosmic features represent the fragments from the formation of the Solar System. Why is comet Borisov so significant? Also, what could scientists predict?
Comet Borisov’s Evolution Examined
Stefanie Milam and Martin Cordiner of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center spotted comet Borisov. They utilized the ESO’s ALMA (the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array). This procedure let allowed them to detect the gases Borisov dismissed as it flew closer to our host star.
Such an observation offered, too, a glimpse into the composition of an interstellar comet. The interiors of such cosmic features can indicate scientists a lot about the processes that happened during their creation.
The team spotted two types of gas molecules being dismissed from comet Borisov. First, there is hydrogen cyanide, and then carbon monoxide in large amounts. The carbon monoxide concentrations were around 9 to 26 times higher than the average Solar System comet.
Comet Borisov Developed in an Extremely Cold Environment
Astrochemist Martin Cordiner detailed: “If the gases we observed reflect the composition of 2l/Borisov’s birthplace, then it shows that it may have formed differently than our solar system comets, in an extremely cold, outer region of a distant planetary system.”
According to the velocity, the comet moved throughout Solar System (21mps; 33km/s), scientists at another concept. Comet Borisov could have been kicked out of its host system by something called, gravitational interaction.
After that, it is believed to have spent billions of years flying through the freezing interstellar space before reaching our Solar System. There’s no telling when the upcoming interstellar comet or other space objects will fly through our Solar System. Or, whether or not scientists will be able to examine it up-close utilizing a spacecraft.
