A lately discovered comet is currently grace our morning sky , with its signature green luminescence and long tail trailing behind . Comet SWAN25F is speed toward the Sun for a hazardously cheeseparing approach , which might either destroy it or make it visible to the defenseless eye . In the meanwhile , the bright comet can be spotted with a telescope or a yoke of opera glasses as it streaks across the sky .
Astronomersdiscoveredthe comet in images captured by the SWAN legal instrument aboard NASA ’s Sun - determine SOHO space vehicle . On April 8 , the Minor Planet Center designated the comet C/2025 F2 ( SWAN ) , and sky viewer were eager to discern it . Here ’s how you could enjoy a glimmering persuasion of the comet before it reaches its closest approach to the Sun during the early days of May .
New bright comet SWAN25F2025 - 04 - 06 UT 2.50LRGB 16/5/5/5 min 11"/2.2 RASA QHY600Michael Jäger , Gerald Rhemannpic.twitter.com/FJuwRVGMd5
Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN), as imaged on 20 December 2024.Image: C messier, Wikimedia
— Michael Jäger ( @Komet123Jager)April 6 , 2025
How to see Comet SWAN
The comet is seeable in the cockcrow sky , and can be blemish in the eastward in the hours just before the twilight of dawn begin to take over .
Comet C/2025 F2 is inside the Great Square of Pegasus , a constellation in the northerly sky name after the winged knight in Greek mythology , and it ’s move toward the Andromeda constellation , according toEarthSky . for view the comet , look toward the star Alpha Andromedae , the smart star of the four points that make up the Great Square in Pegasus . On April 13 , the comet will draw close to the bright star .
The comet is currently at a magnitude of +8 , making it too faint to see with the nude oculus . You ’ll need a telescope or a couple of binoculars to overtake a glance . Be sure to wake up up before sunup twilight washes it from view . Despite its little size of it , the comet should appear as a gullible sphere with a faint seat trailing behind .
A race to the Sun
The comet is currently run toward enormousness or doom , depending on the outcome of its close clash with the Sun .
Comets are the wintry remnant from the geological formation of the solar system , and are made up of cloth such as dust , rock , and ice . As comets orb nigher to the Sun , they heat up and spew gases and dust . That ’s the beam foreland that we see , which can be large than most planets . Then the remain dust and throttle material body a recollective arse , which stretches off from the Sun for jillion of international nautical mile , according toNASA .
When comets approach perihelion — the stuffy distributor point to the Sun — the rut from the star can cause the comet to completely decompose and evaporate from existence . On the other hand , if comets hap to survive the perihelion , they can appear much brighter in the skies .
Comet C/2025 F2 is on a track toward the Sun , with preliminary estimates suggest it will make its penny-pinching access to the Sun on May 1 , according to EarthSky . The comet will come within 31 million stat mi ( 50 million kilometer ) from the Sun , or just inside the orbit of the closest planet to the wizard , Mercury . During perihelion , the comet will be at a brightness level magnitude between 4.5 to 5 , but it will in all likelihood be too confining to the horizon to see at that time . If it does survive the heated clash , it will start to appear in the fall sky rather than at dawn during the first few days of May . It ’s not clear yet exactly how much brighter it will be .
That ’s good news for those who are n’t a fan of early forenoon sky ascertain sessions , so hopefully the comet does survive its rendezvous with our horde wiz . We ’re rooting for you , C/2025 F2 .
astrophotographycometssky watching
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