A mysterious interstellar object approaches the terrestrial solar system

An amateur astronomer would have discovered an interstellar object coming from outside our solar system.

If it turns out that it actually comes from the solar system of the Earth, it would be only the second object of this type, after the discovery in 2017 of the elongated object called Oumuamua.

According to the Harvard University Minor Planet Center (MPC), the object appears to have a "hyperbolic" orbit, which seems to indicate that it originated in a different planetary system.

The 'hyperbolic' orbit refers to the object in orbit whose shape is far from a perfect circle. A perfectly circular orbit would have an eccentricity of zero, most orbits of planets, asteroids and comets having an eccentricity between zero and one. This recently discovered object has an eccentricity of 3.2, according to BBC News.

The interstellar object was first sighted by amateur stargazer Gennady Borisov on August 30 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Bakhchysarai. When they spotted it, the object was about three astronomical units (about 450 million km) from the sun.

According to the MPC:

This object was reported as a comet candidate by G. Borisov (L51) on August 30 UTC. After publication on the NEOCP / PCCP, many observers confirmed the cometary nature.

Based on the observations available, the orbit solution for this object converged to the hyperbolic elements presented below, which would indicate an interstellar origin. A number of other computers in orbit have reached similar conclusions

Unlike Oumuamua, initially classified as a comet, then reclassified because it did not possess the characteristic qualities of the comet, the new object carries a clearly visible tail and coma (a "fuzzy envelope" around the nucleus of the comet), signs revealing.

According to the observations, the new object is very bright and is about 20 km wide.

The MPC asked astronomers to make follow-up observations, stating that "an unexpected discoloration or disintegration should be observable for at least one year".

Astrophysicist Karl Battams of the Washington DC Naval Research Laboratory tweeted:

He has a name and is – as such – now official. Comet C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov) * seems * to be an interstellar comet! However, the arc of observation remains short and the crucial part of the information on the orbit (eccentricity) remains unclear. More comments needed to clarify this.

He added:

Unlike Oumuamua, whose asteroid-or-comet nature is still the subject of debate, this one is undoubtedly a comet. If it is perfectly interstellar, it will be fascinating to see how its composition (spectral properties) compares to the variety we see in the comets of our own solar system.

As National Geographic points out that the comet travels too fast to be captured by the gravity of the sun, reinforcing the notion that it comes from a different planetary system.

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