At the end of August 2019 , Crimean astronomerGennady Borisovdiscovered the first knowninterstellar comet . The object birr through the Solar System getting brighter and brighter as it stick close to the Sun , get to its unaired go inearly December . report now suggest that Comet 2I / Borisov is experience flare-up , which advise it may be give way apart on its way out .
In aposton The Astronomer ’s Telegram , Polish Astronomers using the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment ( OGLE ) report the detection of two major outburst events . The first one happened between March 4 and March 5 , with the luminosity of the comet remaining static for a few days . A 2nd brightening case happened on March 8 , the brightness stabilizing again over the follow days .
“ This demeanor is powerfully indicative of an ongoing nucleus fragmentation , ” the research worker write inThe Astronomer ’s Telegram .
Cometsare " dirty snowball " , pocket-sized icy bodies made up of frozen gasolene , rock , and dust , that – in our Solar System at least – orbit the Sun . When a comet ’s orbit takes it closely to the Sun , the heat melts the ice and it fragmentize , regurgitate out gas and rubble , creating agaseous tailas the comet continues on its journeying . Many comets in the Solar System in reality experiencefragmentation eventson a regular basis , before merging back together . Comet Borisov may not be from our Solar System , but its behavior isvery similarto our local comets , so it ’s potential this is what is come about .
Comet Borisov is the second interstellar object happen upon crossing the Solar System , but the first comet . Asteroid‘Oumuamuafirst passed through our cosmic cervix of the woods in 2017 . Astronomers believe many more objects from other wiz systems are passing through ours at any one fourth dimension , but most of them are too faint for us to see .
astronomer will carry on to monitor this object , although observations may be a spot unmanageable right on now – not just because of the current physical distancing billet in seat in many countries , but also because the comet is in front of the mass of the stars of the Milky Way , so may get misplace amongst their brightness . The comet should still be seeable for a few more calendar month though , so primer andspace observatorieswill hopefully be able to confirm or deny if fragmentation really materialise .
[ H / T : New Scientist ]
