The second interstellar objective on record has visited our solar organisation , consort to astronomical observations made in recent week . But how does this new visitant disagree from ‘ Oumuamua , the first interstellar object ?
Astronomers let out the first interstellar aim on record , 1I/2017 U1 ‘ Oumuamua , on October 19 , 2017 , and were capable to pile up C of observation of the objective as it birr through the solar organization . It was strangely cigar - shaped , and seemed to accelerate as it traveled away from the Sun . There has been some wild surmisal as to its descent and the crusade of its acceleration ( “ aliens ! ” ) , but less speculative debate has center around whether the object is more like a rough asteroid or a comet that released some gas and accelerated as the Sun heat it up . Observations have n’t seen evidence of a cometary - similar tail , but “ a volatile - robust accelerator pedal - venting structure for ‘ Oumuamua provide the simple explanation for its odd flight , ” according toa paperin The Astrophysical Journal .
Comet C/2019 Q4 ( Borisov ) has slightly different features — for one , initial observance havealready revealeda comet - like coma and tail . Its orbit look dissimilar as well . “ It has the kind of orbit that ’s more characteristic of what we expected to see [ from an interstellar object , ] ” Matthew Holman , director of the Minor Planet Center , told Gizmodo last workweek . “ ‘ Oumuamua made a really deep plunge into the solar system and came close to the Sun ; that ’s not the distinctive behavior that we might expect . ”
Comet Borisov (left) versus ‘Oumuamua (right).Image: Gemini Observatory/NSF/AURA, the William Herschel Telescope
Astronomers ask interstellar physical object to be more like icy comets than rocky asteroids because of where they ’re presumed to have formed in their own genius systems . “ As you go out from the champion , the disk is cooler , so the object have more icing in them , ” Kat Volk , associate staff scientist at The University of Arizona , explained to Gizmodo . They ’re presumed to be more like the icy objects in our solar system ’s own distant Kuiper belt . “ Most of the stuff that gets ejected would have more ice it . ”
stargazer also guess that the object is a little larger than ‘ Oumuamua , though the blurry coma makes it concentrated to secernate Comet C/2019 Q4 ( Borisov ) ’s shape , Volk said .
Observatories have only just gathered enough evidence to conclude the object belike has interstellar origins , and watching it has been ( andwill carry on to be ) difficult , since at present tense , it ’s comparatively close to the Sun in the sky from our viewing slant on Earth . But thankfully , the object is traveling in toward the Sun , which means we ’ll have more metre to honor it , versus ‘ Oumuamua , which was caught on its outward-bound journeying .
And scientists are hoping for more interstellar objects shortly .
“ A sampling size of two is really pocket-size , but it ’s better than a sample size of one , ” Volk said . “ We ’ll keep learning about them as we catch more of them zooming through . ”
AstronomyScience
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