---
title: "Here’s a Pic of That Mysterious Object From Beyond Solar System"
description: "Thanks to the Gemini Observatory, we get a closer look at the object called C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), a comet believed to be from beyond our solar system."
date: "2019-09-16"
modified: "2019-09-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pic-object-beyond-solar-system"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Solar Power"
tags:
  - "Astronomy"
  - "gemini"
  - "interstellar object"
  - "the digest"
---

# Here’s a Pic of That Mysterious Object From Beyond Solar System

![Thanks to the Gemini Observatory, we get a closer look at the object called C/2019 Q4 (Borisov), a comet believed to be from beyond our solar system.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/images-mysterious-interstellar-object.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: NASA/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Interstellar Visitor

Amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov made a wild discovery on August 30: an object moving too fast to be captured by the Sun's gravity — and which probably came from outside our solar system.

And now, thanks to the Gemini Observatory, we've gotten a [closer look](<https://www.gemini.edu/node/21240>) at the object — the first interstellar comet ever to be observed, according to the Observatory.

"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 from the Gemini Observatory in [a statement](<https://www.gemini.edu/node/21240>). "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!"

![](<https://www.gemini.edu/images/pio/News/2019/pr2019_09/fig1.jpg>)

The image was stitched together from two exposures, in different color bands, captured by the Gemini North Multi-Object Spectrograph from Hawaii’s Maunakea island. The streaks are stars that appear to be moving since the comet is also whipping through space.

![](<https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/asteroid/20190912/interstellar-object-16.gif>)

## Night at the Observatory

Luckily, C/2019 Q4's trajectory will make it even easier to spot over the next few months. And that could allow us to learn more about its home and origin story.

And that's a big deal — the interstellar object called 'Oumuamua, [first spotted](<https://futurism.com/first-interstellar-object>) in 2017, was already too far away to get a close look once it was identified.

**READ MORE:**[ The First Images Have Started Coming in of That New Interstellar Visitor](<https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-images-are-starting-to-come-in-of-that-new-interstellar-visitor>) \[*Science Alert*\]

**More on the comet:** *[An Interstellar Object May Have Just Entered Our Solar System](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/interstellar-object-entered-solar-system>)*

## 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>)