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Credit & Copyright: Team Ciel Austral
Explanation:
A new visitor
from the outer
Solar System,
comet
C/2025 R2 (SWAN) also
known as SWAN25B was only discovered late last week, on September 11.
That's just day before the comet reached perihelion,
its closest approach to the Sun.
First
spotted by Vladimir Bezugly
in images from the SWAN instrument on the
sun-staring SOHO
spacecraft, the comet was surprisingly bright but understandably
difficult to see against the Sun's glare.
Still close to the Sun on the sky, the greenish
coma and tail
of C/2025 R2 (SWAN) are captured in
this telescopic snapshot
from September 17.
Spica, alpha star of the constellation Virgo, shines just beyond
the upper left edge of the frame while
the comet is about 6.5 light-minutes from planet Earth.
Near the western horizon after sunset and slightly
easier to see
in binoculars from the southern hemisphere,
this comet SWAN will pass near
Zubenelgenubi,
alpha star of Libra, on October 2.
C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
is scheduled to make its closest approach to our
fair planet around October 20.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 30 Á Comet Lemmon Brightens
- APOD: 2025 September 29 Á Two Camera Comets in One Sky
- APOD: 2025 September 26 Á A SWAN an ATLAS and Mars
- APOD: 2025 September 16 Á New Comet SWAN25B over Mexico
- APOD: 2025 July 7 Á Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS
- Comet C/2025 F2 SWAN
- APOD: 2025 February 5 Á Comet G3 ATLAS Setting over a Chilean Hill