NEW YOKR, September 14. /TASS/: US astronomers made the first multicolor image of the first-ever interstellar comet C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), discovered by an amateur astronomer from Crimea, the US-based Gemini observatory said in a statement.
The comet was observed on the night of 9-10 September using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on the Gemini North Telescope on Hawaii’s Maunakea sleeping volcano.
"This image was possible because of Gemini’s ability to rapidly adjust observations and observe objects like this, which have very short windows of visibility," said Andrew Stephens of Gemini Observatory who coordinated the observations. "However, we really had to scramble for this one since we got the final details at 3:00 am and were observing it by 4:45!"
C/2019 Q4, which originated outside the solar system, was discovered by Russian amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov on August 30, 2019. The comet, measuring about 20 km in length, is moving with the speed of 30 kilometers per second.
Borisov, 57, has been studying celestial objects for more than a decade, assembling telescopes with his own hands. Since making his first discovery in 2013, Borisov has already discovered seven comets.
