Meet Comet Borisov (2I/Borisov), a visitor from another star that sped by us over the past few weeks. @NASAHubble was able to capture some images of it swinging by and study it, sparking other scholars’ interest and own studies. Some astronomers over at Yale commented that it was 14 times the size of Earth. This visitor made just a short stop, however, as its speed is bringing it right back out of our system.
☄️ A mysterious visitor from the depths of space, interstellar comet 2I/Borisov, was captured by @NASAHubble speeding away from our solar system. This Dec. 9 photo shows the comet after close approach to the Sun where it reached a max speed of 100,000 mph: https://t.co/8sER0J72aT pic.twitter.com/J5iXwk21Q8
— NASA (@NASA) December 12, 2019
In this photo, the comet is over 180 million miles away from Earth and will come only slightly closer in a few weeks before zipping away again into interstellar space, presumably to another star or system. Astronomers and scientists alike are all in awe of this visitor, as it’s only the second known and recorded interstellar object to have entered our system after ‘Oumuamua in 2017.
It’s amazing what’s out there! Humbling, too, in true Carl Sagan fashion, to realize how small we are compared to the vastness of the universe.
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