JAKARTA, AYOBANDUNG.COM– Scientists uncovered the mystery of an alien comet some time ago.
On August 30, 2019, the Solar System was visited by a foreign comet which was later referred to as 21 / Borisov. Recent research has revealed that it is one of the “purest” comets ever observed, holding clues from the distant past in the world.
The observations about these comets are published in the journal Nature Communications. “In general, the common comets that we usually study have orbits where they approach the Sun over time and as they approach the Sun, the surface changes,” said Ludmilla Kolokolova, a researcher in the astronomy department of the University of Maryland and one of the authors of the new study, told Inverse as quoted from Republika.co.id, network Ayobandung.com, Wednesday (31/3/2021).
Comets are icy bodies made up of frozen gas, rock, and dust, material that likely originated billions of years before the formation of planets and other celestial bodies. As a comet moves closer to the Sun, the star’s strong gravitational force can weaken and destroy it as it gets closer.
Solar radiation, wind, and particles emitted by the sun tend to vaporize carbon and other materials in comets. Most of the comets that scientists in the Solar System commonly observe have been altered by their travels around the host star.
However, the research team found that, unlike comets in general, 21 / Borisov has a chemical composition consistent with its integrity since its formation. This means that it was likely to have been “ banished ” from its system of origin early in its history.
Scientists believe that comets are composed of matter that was left over from the formation of star systems, the remnants of the material that made up planets. Observing comets forming from within our solar system tell us about the early history of planets like Earth and Jupiter.
However, interstellar comets do give us clues about neighboring star systems. Neil Dullo Russo, a planetary astronomer at Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the research, said comet 21 / Borisov is giving scientists a different picture than usual.
“We only measure comets from our solar system and we are trying to get clues as to what their chemical makeup looks like in the comet-forming regions of our solar system,” Russo said.
That’s why, Russo said, measuring this interstellar object is so valuable. This is rarely seen and it gives scientists an idea of what chemical processes are taking place in the solar system other than ours.
The interstellar comet is currently too far away for further observations. However, scientists are optimistic that they can find more of these interstellar comets and can investigate for more clues about alien star systems.
Comet 21 / Borisov
Comet 21 / Borisov was discovered by astronomer Gennady Borisov in the sky over Crimea, Ukraine. Its trajectory indicates that this object is not orbiting around the Sun and is likely an intruder from elsewhere, but it is difficult to trace its origin.
This discovery marks the second interstellar object observed by astronomers, after ‘Oumuamua (1I / 2017 U1) which was discovered on September 9, 2017.’ Oumuamua and 21 / Borisov are the first interstellar objects captured during their brief visit to the Solar System, possibly astronomers know how other planetary systems come together.
Using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert, the team behind the new study observed comet 21 / Borisov between December 25, 2019 and March 20, 2020. They then compared 21 / Borisov’s observations with comets from the Solar System.
The research team found that the dust particles 21 / Borisov are homogeneous and very small compared to other comets, with the exception of Hale-Bopp, which was discovered on July 23, 1995. This broke the record for the farthest comet ever observed from the Sun.
The composition shows that Hale-Bopp is relatively rare in the inner Solar System. The visit in 1995 may be his second and Kolokolova says that is not direct evidence.
“So if Hale-Bopp is pure, then 21 / Borisov is also pure, or even purer because it shows some sort of undisturbed matter around the nucleus,” explains Kolokolova.
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