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An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/possible-interstellar-comet-headed-our-way/ [skyandtelescope.com]

First there was 'Oumuamua [skyandtelescope.com], discovered nearly two years ago. Now we might be in store for another interstellar flyby, this time by the recently discovered comet known for now by the provisional designation C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) [minorplanetcenter.net] — formerly gb00234. Gennady Borisov [facebook.com] captured the object on August 30, 2019, at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory [wikipedia.org] when it was about 3 astronomical units (a.u.) from the Sun. Unlike 'Oumuamua, which wasn't spotted until well after perihelion, the new comet is approaching the plane of the solar system and will reach perihelion on December 10, 2019.

If this result holds up, astronomers have an unprecedented opportunity to study a potentially interstellar object in great detail over a long span of time. Based on the comet's current magnitude (~18) and distance from the Sun (2.7 a.u.), it appears to be a fairly large object — perhaps 10 km or more across, depending on the reflectivity of its surface.

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