Astronomers Believe They’ve Identified the Origin of the Latest Interstellar Visitor to Our Solar System

When ‘Oumuamua traversed our solar system in 2017, its origin remained a mystery. However, astronomers have a better understanding of how Comet 2I/Borisov arrived. Recently, astronomers detected an object from outside our solar system passing through for the second time in history. This time, they believe they have determined its source. The interstellar comet was initially spotted by Gennady Borisov, an amateur astronomer in Crimea who used his personal telescope to observe the sky. Upon its discovery, this object became the first interstellar visitor since ‘Oumuamua’s fleeting visit in 2017. In a published study, a group of Polish astronomers unraveled the trajectory of this new comet, referred to as Comet 2I/Borisov or C/2019 Q4 in earlier descriptions, and traced it back to Kruger 60.

Kruger 60 is a binary star system consisting of two red dwarf stars located 13.15 light-years away. Researchers determined that Comet Borisov passed within a mere 5.7 light-years from the center of Kruger 60 approximately one million years ago. This implies that its velocity was a modest 2.13 miles per second (3.43 kilometers per second). In comparison, this speed is comparable to that of the X-43A Scramjet, one of the fastest aircraft ever created. However, due to the gravitational pull of the sun, an X-43A Scramjet cannot escape our solar system. The scientists concluded that if the comet was moving at such a slow pace and was within 6 light-years of Kruger 60, it was not merely passing through. Instead, it likely originated from a star system.

Ye Quanzhi, an astronomer and comet expert at the University of Maryland who was not involved in this research, stated that the evidence linking Comet 2I/Borisov to Kruger 60 is compelling based on current knowledge. “If you have a comet from another star system and want to determine its origin, you need to examine two factors,” he explained. “Firstly, has this comet been in close proximity to a planetary system?”

Since the trajectory of the new comet must traverse the location of the system it originates from, it is deemed necessary for it to pass through there. Despite the seemingly substantial 5.7 light-year separation between the comet and Kruger, which is significantly larger than a “small gap” (exceeding the distance between Earth and the sun by over 357,000 times), it is still considered “small” in the context of these calculations. Ye further explains that comets are typically expelled from a planetary system due to the gravitational interaction with its prominent planets.

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