On August 30th, 2019, amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov was looking through his home-built 0.65-meter telescope in Nauchnny, Crimea.
He noticed an unusual object. It had a coma - a comet!
When he searched the JPL's database for any comets in the area, nothing came up. This was new!
A new comet. And one that, based on his calculations, risked hitting Earth!
He immediately submitted his results to the IAU Minor Planet Center's NEO (Near-Earth Object) Confirmation Page.
NASA soon determined that the object is most likely in a safe, but hyperbolic orbit - meaning that it is a wayfarer "passing through" the solar system.
It is only the second such object discovered in human history, and the first discovered by an amateur.
The comet, nicknamed the Christmas Comet, reached its closest point to Earth on the 7th of December, 2019.
This is probably the closest it will ever come to Earth.
The time-lapse video in this background was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope during October 2019. It is the highest resolution image of the comet to date.
Currently, the technology for intercepting the comet does not exist. It is traveling much too fast for any spacecraft to rendezvous with it.
Someday it may become feasible to intercept this cosmic wayfarer. Until then, enjoy the video!