A possible new interstellar visitor approaches our solar system, according to astronomers

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(CNN) - Almost two years after the first interstellar visitor was detected in our solar system, astronomers believe they have found another one that is arriving, according to NASA. The first object, known as' Oumuamua, was found in October 2017. Interstellar means that the object originated outside our solar system.

On August 30, Gennady Borisov saw a new comet while he was at the MARGO observatory in Crimea.

• The interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua is not an extraterrestrial spacecraft, according to researchers

After this initial observation, the Scout system at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory also marked the object as possibly originating from outside our solar system. The Scout system evaluates objects recently found by the Center for Minor Planets for hazards and possible trajectories.

Astronomers believe that the object known as C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov) would have its origin outside our solar system.

Follow-up observations of the comet were made, one of them by Davide Farnocchia at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies and the Center for Coordination of Near-Earth Objects of the European Space Agency.

It has not been officially confirmed that the object, now known as C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov), originates outside our solar system.

But soon we will have the opportunity to get to know the comet better. It is directed towards the inner part of our solar system and will enter it on October 26. Seeing it right now through telescopes from our point of view on Earth, it seems to be close to the sun. It will be visible through professional telescopes for months.

The comet is heading towards our sun. The closest it will be to Earth is a distance of 190 million miles. Currently, it is 260 million miles (more than 300 million kilometers) from our sun and will make its closest approach on December 8.

"The current speed of the comet is high, approximately 93,000 mph (149,000 km / h), which is well above the typical velocities of objects that orbit the Sun at that distance," said Farnocchia. "High speed indicates not only that the object probably originated outside our solar system, but that it will also leave and return to interstellar space."

The object was designated as a comet because it seems blurred. Comets tend to look blurry because they are frozen and release dust and particles as they get hot as they approach the Sun.

'Oumuamua only visited us quickly in 2017. The stay of this comet should be a little longer.

"The object will reach its maximum brightness in mid-December and will remain observable with moderate-sized telescopes until April 2020," said Farnocchia. "After that, it will only be observable with larger professional telescopes until October 2020."

Researchers who detected and confirmed 'Oumuamua have also observed the comet, including Karen Meech and colleagues at the University of Hawaii.

For now, they believe that the comet is between 1.2 and 10 miles (between 1.9 and 16 kilometers) in diameter. Future observations will shed more light on its size, rotation and trajectory.