Tag: Comet

Could a melting exomoon explain Tabby’s Star?

This star undergoes a long-term dimming that’s so mysterious it was, at one time, proposed as possible evidence of an alien culture. Now, scientists say, a disk of debris – torn from a melting exomoon – might explain Tabby’s Star. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/tabbys-star-explanation-melting-exomoon…

Comet gateway discovered to inner solar system, may alter fundamental understanding of comet evolution

A new study led by a University of Central Florida researcher may fundamentally alter our understanding of how comets arrive from the outskirts of the solar system and are funneled to the inner solar system coming closer to Earth. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-comet-gateway-solar-fundamental-evolution.html…

Could we intercept interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 Borisov?

When ‘Oumuamua passed through our solar system two years ago, it set off a flurry of excitement in the astronomical community. Here was the first-ever interstellar object that be observed by human trackers, and the mysteries surrounding its true nature and composition led to some pretty interesting theories. There were even some proposals for a rapid mission that would be able…

The visible spectrum of C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), the first confirmed interstellar comet

Shortly before dawn on September 13th, Julia de León, Miquel Serra-Ricart, Javier Licandro, all members of IAC’s solar system Group, and Carlos Raúl de la Fuente Marcos, from the Complutense University of Madrid, obtained high resolution images and visible spectra of comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) using the OSIRIS instrument at the 10.4m GTC, installed in the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory…

Gemini observatory captures multicolor image of first-ever interstellar comet

The first-ever comet from beyond our Solar System has been successfully imaged by the Gemini Observatory in multiple colors. The image of the newly discovered object, denoted C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), was obtained on the night of 9-10 September using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii’s Maunakea. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-gemini-observatory-captures-multicolor-image.html…

Newly discovered comet is likely interstellar visitor

A newly discovered comet has excited the astronomical community this week because it appears to have originated from outside the solar system. The object—designated C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) – was discovered on Aug. 30, 2019, by Gennady Borisov at the MARGO observatory in Nauchnij, Crimea. The official confirmation that comet C/2019 Q4 is an interstellar comet has not yet been made, but…