Astronomers have captured the best and closest image to date of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov, a visitor that originated from outside of our solar system and is currently passing through.
This is only the second interstellar object to cross into our solar system after ‘Oumuamua in 2017.
Astronomers at Yale University used the W.M. Keck Observatory’s Low-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer, located in Hawaii, to provide the closest look at the interstellar comet since it was first observed over the summer.
They also provided an image they created to show it relative to Earth.
The new photo reveals the comet’s impressive tail, which extends for nearly 100,000 miles. That’s 14 times the size of Earth, according to the researchers at Yale.
“It’s humbling to realize how small Earth is next to this visitor from another solar system,” said Pieter van Dokkum, a Yale astronomer.
Read more: cnn
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