Media2019

Amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov discovers interstellar comet 2I/Borisov

When: 30 Aug 2019
Where: Nauchnyi, Crimea
Sources: 2 public sources

Hubble view of 2I/Borisov in October 2019, weeks after Gennady Borisov found it Hubble ESA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov spotted a comet with his own telescope in Crimea. Its hyperbolic orbit showed it came from outside the solar system, and NASA calls it the first confirmed interstellar comet, a clearly natural object unlike the debate over 'Oumuamua.

Sources

OfficialComet 2I/Borisov (opens in a new tab)NASA Science
OfficialMPEC 2019-R106: Comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) (opens in a new tab)IAU Minor Planet Center / 2019-09-11

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