“Borisov” is a more “primitive” “firstborn” comet.

Study: “Borisov” is a “first-born” comet, more “primitive”

Cairo – Middle Gate | Thursday 01 April 2021, 10:20 a.m.

The very large telescope of the European Southern Observatory in Chile which observed the comet “Borisov” (AFP)

Comet 2i Borisov, which was observed in the Earth’s sky in 2019, was the first comet to come from another star system, and it arrived “early”, according to a study published Tuesday.

On August 30, 2019, amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov discovered an atypical star in the Crimean sky, and scientists concluded from his path that its source could not have come from inside the solar system, according to “AFP “.

Another stellar body was “1i Uomoyama” which had already passed through the solar system in 2017 but was classified as an asteroid, which is a body made up mostly of rocks.

As for comets, they are made up of a core of ice, organic matter, and rocks, and they turn into gas when they get close to the heat of the sun, causing a long trail of dust, and they come from reservoirs of small celestial bodies located at the edge of the solar system, characterized by the most severe frosts, such as the Kuiper belt or the most distant Oort cloud.

Therefore, 2i Borisov, which is from a different star system than the solar system, is unique, and a study published in Nature Communications included more of its history.

With the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory in Chile, an international team used a polarization technique that makes it possible to deduce the metallic properties of an object with a core diameter of less than one kilometer using light thoughtful.

The most primitive
Unlike “local” comets, the “Borissov” tail is characterized by a “very homogeneous” polarization, according to what he explained to “France Press”, co-author of the study, Philip Bendjoya.

The astronomer concluded from the Observatory of the Côte d’Azur that “Borissov” had “never bypassed any star. When he approached the sun, it was the first time he had witnessed a gas discharge, as if he was losing his virginity ”.

Therefore, it is considered the most “primitive” comet among comets known to date, according to the study. Only one comet looks like it, but from the solar system, it is the famous “Hail Hope” which was seen by the inhabitants of the Earth in 1995. It is believed that this star has approached the sun only once , and therefore it was not changed much by solar radiation and winds.

Thus, the “Heil Hope”, which is supposed to return to the Earth’s sky after 2,500 years, is still as it was when the solar system was born 4.5 billion years ago.

It is possible that “Borisov” was formed “under the same circumstances,” according to European Southern Observatory astronomer Ben Yang.

But where was this comet born? This question remains unanswered and “it may never be known, since it can no longer be observed,” says Philip Bendjoy. This comet, which is currently located near Saturn, has gone out of the solar system and will not return.