A Second Interstellar Visitor Has Arrived in Our Solar System. This Time, Astronomers Think They Know Where It Came From

When 'Oumuamua traversed our solar system in 2017, its origin was unknown. On the other hand, astronomers believe they understand how Comet 2I/Borisov arrived.

For the second time ever, astronomers have discovered an object passing through our solar system. However, experts believe they have discovered its origins.

Gennady Borisov was an amateur astronomer in Crimea who was observing the sky with his own telescope when he first noticed the interstellar comet. The object he discovered was the first known extrastellar visitor discovered since the lengthy 'Oumuamua sped by our solar system in 2017. Polish scientists have published their findings on how Comet 2I/Borisov, previously known as C/2019 Q4 in earlier reports, entered our sun's gravity well. And that route returns to the system of two red dwarf stars known as Kruger 60, which is located 13.15 light-years away.

One million years ago, Comet Borisov came close to the center of Kruger 60, at a distance of barely 5.7 light-years, according to research. This indicates that its speed was only 2.13 miles per hour, or 3.43 kilometers per hour.

That is quick in human terms—roughly as fast as one of the fastest planes ever created, the X-43A Scramjet, can travel. However, an X-43A Scramjet cannot escape our solar system due to gravity. Furthermore, the scientists discovered that the comet wasn't only passing by since it was traveling at such a modest speed and was only six light-years from Kruger 60. They concluded that it most likely originated in a star system. The way comets in our system orbit our stars is similar to how Comet Borisov used to orbit those stars.

Ye Quanzhi, a University of Maryland astronomer and comet specialist who was not involved in this research, told Live Science that, based on what is currently known, there is a lot of evidence connecting Comet 2I/Borisov to Kruger 60.

"You need to check two things if you have a meteor from another star system and you want to find out where it came from." HE SAID. PRIORITY ONE: HAS THIS COMET PASSED NEAR A PLANETARY SYSTEM? Considering that its path needs to go through the location of that system if it is coming from there.

The new comet and Kruger are separated by 5.7 light-years, which may seem like a large distance (it is more than 357,000 times the distance between Earth and the sun), but for these kinds of calculations, he explains, it is close enough to be regarded as "small."

"SECOND, WHEN THEIR GRAVITY INTERACTS WITH THAT SYSTEM'S MAJOR PLANETS, COMETS ARE USUALLY THROWN OUT OF A PLANETARY SYSTEM," YE CONTINUED.

That might resemble Jupiter capturing a comet that is descending, launching it into space between the stars, and sending it on a brief, partial orbit in our solar system.

"THIS EJECTION SPEED CAN ONLY GO SO FAST," YE MENTIONED. "PLANETS HAVE A CERTAIN MASS," SO IT CANNOT BE INFINITE, AND A PLANET'S ABILITY TO THROW A COMET INTO THE VOID DEPENDS ON ITS MASS. Additionally, he stated, "Jupiter is fairly large, but a planet 100 times larger than Jupiter is not possible because that planet would become a star."

According to Ye, comets are limited in their speed as they pass through the interstellar medium. Furthermore, the authors of their analysis demonstrated that Comet 2I/Borisov went near enough to Kruger 60 in terms of speed and distance to imply that it originated there, assuming their calculations of the comet's journey are accurate.

"RECENTLY, WE HAVE THE RARE CHANCE TO STUDY OTHER SOLAR SYSTEMS USING THE SAME TOOLS WE USE TO STUDY OUR OWN," YE SAID OF STUDYING INTERSTELLAR COMETS.

By using telescopes to observe Comet 2I/Borisov, astronomers may be able to learn more about the comet's surface. They can determine whether it behaves like comets in our solar system have so far, or if it exhibits any unusual behavior similar to that of 'Oumuamua. In distant solar systems, where minuscule objects only show up as dim, discolored shadows on their suns, a comprehensive field of study is typically not attainable.

Anything we learn about Comet Borisov as a result of this research may also have implications for our understanding of Kruger 60, a nearby star system in which no exoplanet has yet been discovered. " The brilliant star Vega appears to have been the source of Oumuamua, but scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory believe it originated from a different star system, albeit they are unsure of which one. Comet Borisov will be the first object from another star system to be tracked back to its home system if these findings hold true.

However, the researchers took sure to note that these findings do not yet constitute proof. Astronomers continue to collect data regarding the space trajectory of Comet 2I/path Borisov. Further data could demonstrate that the comet originated in a different location and that the first track was incorrect.

Although the research attempting to determine the comet's origin has not yet been evaluated by other scientists, it can be found on the arXiv preprint service.