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Table · dataset · 2021

Opt. spectra of the interstellar object 2I/Borisov

Listed in IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)

2I/Borisov is the first-ever observed interstellar comet (and the second detected interstellar object (ISO)).

Description

It was discovered on 2019 August 30 and has a heliocentric orbital eccentricity of ~3.35, corresponding to a hyperbolic orbit that is unbound to the Sun. Given that it is an ISO, it is of interest to compare its properties-such as composition and activity-with the comets in our solar system.

This study reports low-resolution optical spectra of 2I/Borisov. The spectra were obtained by the MDM Observatory Hiltner 2.4m telescope/Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (on 2019 October 31.5 and November 4.5, UT). The wavelength coverage spanned from 3700 to 9200{AA}.

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The dust continuum reflectance spectra of 2I/Borisov show that the spectral slope is steeper in the blue end of the spectrum (compared to the red). The spectra of 2I/Borisov clearly show CN emission at 3880{AA}, as well as C2 emission at both 4750 and 5150{AA}. Using a Haser model to covert the observed fluxes into estimates for the molecular production rates, we find Q(CN)=2.4+/-0.2x10^24^s^-1^, and Q(C_2_)=(5.5+/-0.4)x10^23^s^-1^ at the heliocentric distance of 2.145au.

Our Q(CN) estimate is consistent with contemporaneous observations, and the Q(C_2_) estimate is generally below the upper limits of previous studies. We derived the ratio Q(C_2_)/Q(CN)=0.2+/-0.1, which indicates that 2I/Borisov is depleted in carbon-chain species, but is not empty. This feature is not rare for the comets in our solar system, especially in the class of Jupiter-family comets.

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Documentation and papers

Catalogue records · 2

Topics

Stated by source
Optical
Provenance · 1 source records, 8 field assertions
SourceKeyLast seenRaw
IVOA Registry (Virtual Observatory)ivo://cds.vizier/j/apj/889/l3012 d agoJSON v1
FieldAssertionExtractorEvidence
access_levelsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[field].local:field:astronomymapping · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
concepts[modality].ivoa_waveband:opticalsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
descriptionsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0rr.resource.res_description
license_textsource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
publication_datesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0
titlesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0rr.resource.res_title
updated_datesource · IVOA Registryconnector:ivoa_registry@1.0.0