- According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a second interstellar object named 2I/Borisov has been discovered in the solar system. It was discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov from MARGO observatory, Crimea on August 30, 2019 which looked like a comet from a 0.65-metre telescope built on his own. The first interstellar object was 1I/”Oumuamua
Key Points:
- It has an orbit as hyperbolic.
- 2I/Borisov will make its closest approach to the sun on 7 December 2019.
- The conclusions of the discovery has been supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Solar System Dynamics (SSD) Group
About an interstellar object:
- An interstellar object is an astronomical object- an asteroid, comet or possibly planet, but not a star or substar, that is located in interstellar space and is not gravitationally bound to a star. Interstellar space is the physical space within a galaxy beyond the influence each star has upon the encompassed plasma.
