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Comet 2I/Borisov Time-Lapse

This is a time-lapse sequence compressing Hubble Space Telescope observations of comet 2I/Borisov, spanning a seven-hour period. As the first confirmed interstellar comet to enter our solar system, comet 2I/Borisov is moving along at a breakneck speed of 110,000 miles per hour. To photograph the comet Hubble has to track it, like a photographer tracking a racetrack horse. Therefore, background stars are streaked in the exposure frames. An artificial satellite also crosses the field of view. Hubble reveals a central concentration of dust around an unseen nucleus. Comet 2I/Borisov is only the second such interstellar object known to have passed through the solar system. In 2017, the first identified interstellar visitor, an object formally named 'Oumuamua, swung within 24 million miles of the Sun before racing out of the solar system.
  • Release Date
    October 16, 2019
  • Science Release
    Hubble Observes First Confirmed Interstellar Comet
    Read the release
  • Credits
    NASA, ESA, D. Jewitt (UCLA), and J. DePasquale (STScI)

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Comet 2I/Borisov

Comet 2I/Borisov

Hubble's View of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers their best look yet at an interstellar visitor – comet 2I/Borisov – whose speed and trajectory indicate it has come from beyond our solar system. Hubble photographed the comet at a...

Comet 2I/Borisov Compass Image

Comet 2I/Borisov Compass Image

Artist's Illustration of Comet 2I/Borisov's Orbit

Artist's Illustration of Comet 2I/Borisov's Orbit

Orbital Path of First Confirmed Interstellar Comet This illustration shows the path of comet 2I/Borisov through our solar system. This visitor came from interstellar space along a hyperbolic trajectory. It is only the second known intruder to zoom through our solar system. (The...

Artist's Illustration of Comet 2I/Borisov's Orbit (Annotated)

Artist's Illustration of Comet 2I/Borisov's Orbit (Annotated)

Orbital Path of First Confirmed Interstellar Comet This annotated illustration shows the path of comet 2I/Borisov through our solar system. This visitor came from interstellar space along a hyperbolic trajectory. It is only the second known intruder to zoom through our solar...

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Last Updated
Mar 12, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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