Hubble image archive
Comet 2I/Borisov
Hubble Tracks Comet Borisov’s Flight Through Solar SystemThis time-lapse Hubble movie shows comet Borisov's journey through our solar system. Background stars appear as streaks of light because Hubble is tracking the moving comet. The amount of stars changes as the comet travels...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2020
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2020-26-4648-image
Hubble Tracks Comet Borisov’s Flight Through Solar System
This time-lapse Hubble movie shows comet Borisov's journey through our solar system. Background stars appear as streaks of light because Hubble is tracking the moving comet. The amount of stars changes as the comet travels from low- to high-density stellar regions in the background.
The video was created using 37 images taken between Dec. 9, 2019, and Feb. 24, 2020. The total observation time for all of the images was three to four hours. However, the observations were made on five separate days: Dec. 9, 2019; Dec. 23, 2019; Jan. 3, 2020; Jan. 29, 2020; and Feb. 24, 2020.
The video is composed of images taken in visible light by Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3.
Credits
NASA, ESA, K. Meech (University of Hawaii), and D. Jewitt (UCLA)Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Comet 2I/Borisov |
| Object Description | Interstellar comet |
| Distance | At the time of observations, the comet was 1.99 AU from Earth (185 million miles). |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | HST observations include those from programs (D. Jewitt). |
| Instrument | WFC3/UVIS |
| Exposure Dates | 9 Dec 2019 |
| Filters | F350LP |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | This image is an exposure acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning the color blue to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov