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Comet 'most pristine' object from outer space seen in Solar System, say studies

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Marlowe Hood and Patrick Galey, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/overseas/03/30/comet1.jpg"/><figcaption>Comet 2I/Borisov is only the second interstellar object known to have passed through the solar system. These two images, taken by NASA&#x27;s Hubble Space Telescope, capture the comet appearing near a background galaxy (left) and soon after its closest approach to the Sun (right). NASA, ESA and D. Jewitt (UCLA)/File</figcaption></figure></div>PARIS - A newly observed interstellar comet is the most pristine visitor from outer space ever seen in our Solar System, according to a pair of studies released Tuesday detailing its unique characteristics.Pristine, in astronomical terms, describes a comet that has never passed close enough to a star to be transformed by its searing heat.2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019 by Ukrainian astrophysicist Gennady Borisov at the MARGO Observatory in Crimea and is only the second interstellar object detected in our planetary system.The first -- the asteroid known as Oumaumua, which roughly means &quot;Scout&quot; in the Hawaiian language -- baffled scientists for its unprecedented properties.Both objects had trajectories unbound by the Sun, suggesting they came our way through the emptiness of deep space from another Solar System.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/02/23/21/fil-am-engineer-part-of-nasas-mars-perseverance-team">Fil-Am engineer part of NASA&#x27;s Mars &#x27;Perseverance&#x27; team</a></li></ul>Writing in the journal Nature Communications, an international team describe how 2I/Borisov&#x27;s coma -- the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of a comet -- polarized light at a higher rate than typical comets. This is evidence that the comet probably didn&#x27;t pass very close to its own star before embarking on its interstellar voyage.The heat from a star can evaporate a comet&#x27;s ice particles, liberating dust particles. Lighter particles form the comet&#x27;s tail while heavier ones fall back on to its surface, building a crust.Observing the tail of a comet can help scientists see how pristine -- or intact -- it is.Co-author Lioudmila Kolokolova from the University of Maryland&#x27;s Department of Astronomy explained the findings with reference to the coma, the cloud of gases and particles enveloping the comet core.&quot;Since we have observed a very homogeneous coma, without any signs of jets and other features, we suppose that the comet does not have a crust,&quot; she told AFP. &quot;Thus it is really a pristine object, not affected much by radiation and charged particles.&quot;The researchers said that only one other comet -- Hale-Bopp, discovered by amateur astronomers in 1995 -- had exhibited similarly polarized light.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/05/21/fil-am-nasa-engineers-hope-to-serve-as-beam-of-hope-for-next-pinoy-scientists">Fil-Am NASA engineers hope to serve as &#x27;beam of hope&#x27; for next Pinoy scientists</a></li></ul><div>&#x27;EXTREMELY LOW ODDS&#x27;</div>A second paper, published in Nature Astronomy, analyzed the dust in the 2I/Borisov&#x27;s coma and found it consisted of tiny &quot;pebbles&quot;.This compact pebble dust may have resulted from its formation, &quot;perhaps due to gravitational stirring by giant planets much like in our own Solar system&quot; according to lead author Bin Yang, an astronomer at the European Southern Observatory. She said that the indications were that 2I/Borisov&#x27;s composition was &quot;quite similar to a solar system comet&quot;.There are likely to be far more interstellar objects out there in the vast expanse of space than the two observed so far in our Solar System, she added.&quot;We think there are many asteroids and comets around other stars,&quot; she told AFP. &quot;However, because of the vast distance between us and other stars, the odds of finding these wandering objects is extremely low.&quot; Even using the largest telescope available for comet-hunting, scientists expected to find just one such object every year, she said.<div>RELATED VIDEO</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bq08aYq3FAg?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Pristine, in astronomical terms, describes a comet that has never passed close enough to a star to be transformed by its searing heat.

Pristine, in astronomical terms, describes a comet that has never passed close enough to a star to be transformed by its searing heat.

Comet 'most pristine' object from outer space seen in Solar System, say studies

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Comet 'most pristine' object from outer space seen in Solar System, say studies

Marlowe Hood and Patrick Galey,

Agence France-Presse

Published March 31, 2021 06:01 AM PHT

Read More:

comet

solar system

2I/Borisov

Gennady Borisov

interstellar comet

astronomy

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