Borisov Object From Deep Space To Flyby Earth’s Orbit

NASA is gearing up to observe an interstellar object coming towards the Earth. The object, known as the 21/Borisov, is the only second interstellar object that was spotted in our Solar System. NASA scientists first detected the object back in August at the Keck observatory in Hawaii. Now the Borisov is making a close approach to our orbit.

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NASA researchers say that Borisov will make a close approach in December. It will pass roughly 190 miles (approximately 305km) away from the Earth's orbit. This distance is roughly twice the distance from the Earth to the Sun (one AU).

Borisov Object Spotted

Borisov was first recognized when NASA researchers were looking for other space objects. When the researchers were using the Hubble Space Telescope and captured some pictures of Saturn, they spotted a psychedelic array of blue, green and violet colors. While Saturn looks like a planet shaded in pastel-like colors, the new picture showed a unique combination of colors, unlike anything the scientists had seen.

The pictures showed a deep glow with tinges of blue and violet hues, which was slowly changing to green towards the equator. In contrast, Saturn's center appears in shades of pink and orange with yellow hues. It became evident to the scientists that the telescope had captured another unique interstellar object.

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Borisov Object Features

The Borisov interstellar object has certain unique features. It has a long tail that is believed to be made up of ice and other debris. It is quite long, stretching to a massive 100,000 miles. In other words, including the long tail, the Borisov is essentially stretching out longer than 12 Earths put together.

No wonder NASA scientists are worried about the gigantic object coming so close to the Earth's orbit. But this is also an opportunity for researchers and other space enthusiasts to study and observe the interstellar object before it moves away into deep space once again. The brief visit might be beneficial, after all.

However, there is not much known about the Borosiv object. Researchers have conducted an extensive study, but they're still clueless. So far, it's been concluded that Borisov is a comet. Scientists believe that studying the Borosiv might answer some questions on how comets are formed in deep space.