A comet was recently observed near the orbit of the planet Mars, reports the Reuters news agency. Where the comet comes from is difficult to say, but according to researchers it is most likely that it is interstellar, that is, it is not from our solar system.

Karen Meech, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii, is part of the research team that has observed and tried to study the comet.

- Everyone is 100 percent convinced that it is really, really interstellar, Karen Meech tells Reuters.

Unusually high speed

The orbit of the comet was first discovered by astronomer Gennady Borisov, who believes it follows a orbit that is strongly bent toward the sun. It also has an unusually high speed, which is proof that it originates outside our solar system.

- Our star sun has billions of comets around it. Most are so far away that we never see them. This may be a comet that has been formed around another star, has left it and has happened to enter our solar system. As it approaches the sun, it has been able to detect it, explains Swedish astronomer Bengt Edvardsson.

Cigar-shaped comet

2017 was the first time a similar object was added to our solar system. It was described as cigar shaped and was given the name "Oumuamua", a name of Hawaiian origin which means "messenger from afar". It is not certain if "Oumuamua" is a comet or an asteroid, a slightly firmer body, according to Bengt Edvardsson.

- When a comet comes in towards the sun, they get heated and send out a tail of particles, dust and gas. "Oumuamua" showed no tail and was unexpectedly "rounded" to be a comet, but it might have shown a tail if it got closer to the sun, says Bengt Edvardsson.

The new comet has been named "C / 2019 Q4" by the astronomers. On December 8, it is expected to be closest to the sun and is around 300 million miles from Earth.