Russian astronomer discovers what might be the first documented comet from another solar system

The Russian astronomer Gennady Borisov has discovered a new comet. It was named C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) in his honor, the Minor Planet Center reported.

Borisov first spotted the comet on August 30 from an observatory in Crimea. Other astronomers subsequently observed it as well.

Experts at the Minor Planet Center, which is run by the International Astronomical Union, believe that the object Borisov discovered may be an interstellar comet, meaning that it reached our solar system from another solar system. If that is the case, C/2019 Q4 would be the first interstellar comet and only the second interstellar object to be sighted by scientists on Earth. In October of 2017, astronomers working in Hawaii observed an interstellar asteroid called 11/‘Oumuamua.

There are a few other unconfirmed candidates that may be the world’s first sighted interstellar comet, such as C/2018 V1, which was found last year.