The only previous interstellar visitor discovered in our solar system was a cigar-shaped rocky object called ‘Oumuamua found in 2017. “Its properties determined so far — morphology, color, estimated size — are remarkably similar to the native solar system comets. “Our Solar System is regularly visited by escapees from other planetary systems, and it has always been this way. The speed of 2I/Borisov and the nature of its orbital path demonstrated that it did not originate in our solar system, Jagiellonian University astronomer Piotr Guzik said. Interstellar minor bodies are this long-sought bridge between other planetary systems and our own solar system.

Source: National Post October 14, 2019 21:45 UTC