Detection of nickel in the atmosphere of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov

The detection of nickel (Ni) in the fuzzy atmosphere of the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is illustrated in this image, which shows the spectrum of light of the comet on the bottom right superimposed to a real image of the comet taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in late 2019. The lines of nickel are indicated by orange dashes.

The spectrum was obtained with the X-shooter instrument on the Unit Telescope 2 (UT2, Kueyen) on ESO’s VLT, which separates incoming beams of light into their constituent wavelengths (equivalent to colours). With the ability to acquire data from near-infrared to the ultraviolet wavelengths simultaneously, X-shooter is one of the most versatile optical instruments in use.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada/O. Hainaut, P. Guzik and M. Drahus

About the Image

Id:eso2108b
Type:Collage
Release date:19 May 2021, 17:00
Related releases:eso2108
Size:4000 x 2500 px

About the Object

Name:2I/Borisov
Type:Milky Way : Interplanetary Body : Comet
Category:Stars

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