---
title: "NASA Scientists Say Interstellar Object May Hold Alien Water"
description: "Astronomers from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center believe recently discovered interstellar comet 2I/Borisov may hold water, the New Scientist reports. While we have detected water in the atmospheres of interstellar exoplanets before, it could mark the first time we’ve located water that originates from a different planetary system within our Solar System. A not-yet peer-reviewed […]"
date: "2019-10-30"
modified: "2019-10-30"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/interstellar-object-alien-water"
categories:
  - "NASA"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "2i/borisov"
  - "interstellar object"
  - "the digest"
  - "water"
---

# NASA Scientists Say Interstellar Object May Hold Alien Water

![Astronomers from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center believe the recently discovered interstellar comet 2I/Borisov may hold water.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/interstellar-object-alien-water.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Tony873004 \</em\>*

## Interstellar Water

Astronomers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center believe the recently discovered interstellar object 2I/Borisov may hold water, [*New Scientist* reports](<https://www.newscientist.com/article/2221767-alien-water-may-have-been-found-on-interstellar-comet-borisov/>).

While we've previously [detected water](<https://futurism.com/exoplanet-water-worlds-deep-oceans>) in the atmospheres of interstellar exoplanets, this could mark the first time we've located water originating from a different planetary system within our own solar system.

## Oxygen Rush

Using the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, a team led by astronomer Adam McKay [found ](<https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.12785>)[that](<https://arxiv.org/abs/1910.12785>) Borisov, believed to be an interstellar comet, seems to be giving off large amounts of oxygen.

They believe the gas could be the result of UV rays from the Sun splitting water vapor into hydrogen and oxygen atoms.

## Stealthy Comet

2I/Borisov was discovered in August and is only a couple kilometers across. Its odd trajectory and extreme velocity led astronomers to conclude it came from another distant star system — despite it looking "remarkably like a normal Solar System comet," as astronomer Colin Snodgrass from the University of Edinburgh [told *Science*](<https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/10/alien-comets-may-be-common-object-beyond-solar-system-suggests>).

Finding evidence of interstellar water this close to home —relatively speaking — could provide new insight into the nature of other distant star systems. It could even have implications for the existence of alien life.

"Are we special as a planetary system or are a lot of planetary systems like ours?" McKay told *New Scientist*. "That has implications for the origin of life, and how common life is throughout the universe."

**READ MORE:** [Alien water may have been found on interstellar comet Borisov](<https://www.newscientist.com/article/2221767-alien-water-may-have-been-found-on-interstellar-comet-borisov/>) \[*New Scientist*\]

**More on alien life:** *[Former NASA Scientist “Convinced” We Already Found Life on Mars](<https://futurism.com/nasa-scientist-found-life-on-mars>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)