Second mysterious interstellar space object to fly through our solar system has an official name

• The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has confirmed that an ‘unambiguously’ interstellar space object is going to visit our solar system.
  
• The comet-like object now has an official name — 2I/Borisov.
  
• 2I signifies that it's the second interstellar object to be spotted and Borisov is the name of the astronomer who first spotted the object — Gennady Borisov.
  

Earlier this month, astronomers spotted a new mysterious interstellar object which will visiting our solar system. It’s only the second such object to be spotted after Oumuamua, last year.

Now it officially has a name — 2I/Borisov. The 2I represents that it’s the second interstellar object to be spotted in our solar system.It is named after the astronomer who first spotted the object on 30 August 2019, Gennady Borisov.

Aside from naming the object, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) also confirmed that the object is ‘unambiguously’ interstellar in its origin.

More time with the comet

Astronomers currently believe that Borisov is a comet since it has a condensed body and a short tail as per the images captured by the Gran Telescopio Canarias — one of the largest telescopes in the world.

If it is a comet, it has the most hyperbolic orbits that has ever been observed.


It’s Borisov’s trajectory and velocity that led astronomers to conclude that it is a visitor to our solar system.

It’s difficult to ascertain the exact size of the comet because its nucleus is embedded in the coma — the surrounding dust and ice. But, based on how brightly it shines, IAU estimates that its at least a few kilometers in diameter.


It’s also going to be visiting for a lot longer than Oumuamua. Astronomers only had a few days to observe the first interstellar object but Borisov will be staying on till January giving scientists months to record its behaviour.

It will be the closest to Earth on 7 December 2019 at a distance of about 3 million kilometers.

See also:
A second mysterious object from interstellar space may be about to fly through our solar system

A bizarre interstellar object called 'Oumuamua continues to perplex astronomers a year after it vanished. Here's why a few scientists still wonder if it was alien.