The interstellar comet is about to fly closest to Earth

Astronomers will have the opportunity to observe 2I / Borisov, comets coming from other star systems, at the most detailed level ever.

Compare 2I / Borisov and Earth.(Photo: CNN).

Comet 2I / Borisov will be 306 million km from the Earth in its last last flight on December 8 before continuing its journey through the solar system. When closer to Earth, this meteor will drop more gas and dust in the tail during evaporation. "Astronomers are taking advantage of Borisov's visit, using telescopes like Keck to gather information about the planet's composition of other star systems," said Gregory Laughlin, an astronomer at Yale University, said.

Yale University astronomers use low-resolution imaging spectra at the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii to be able to see the most detailed interstellar comet since 2I / Borisov was broadcast. show for the first time this summer. They also created a photo showing the comet's relative position relative to the Earth. The new image reveals an impressive tail stretching nearly 161,000 km of 2I / Borisov, 13 times the diameter of the Earth.

The team suggests that this comet came from another star system but was thrown out of the system after almost hitting a planet. From the first observation, astronomers have discovered many new details. The core, also known as the comet core, is 1.6 km wide and reddish. They identified the main component of 2I / Borisov as dust. In addition to the hyperbolic orbit, 2I / Borisov is very similar to other comets in the solar system.

"The brightness of the object will peak in mid-December and can be observed with medium-sized telescopes until April 2020. After that, we can only track it with professional telescopes. larger until October 2020, " said Dave Farnocchia, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Future observations will reveal the comet's size, rotation, and path.