Astronomers Witness Fading Green Comet SWAN
A newly discovered green comet tracked by telescopes has likely broken apart as it swung by the sun, dashing hopes of a naked-eye spectacle. Comet SWAN, hailing from the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto, has been visible through telescopes and binoculars over the past few weeks with its streaming tail.
Experts said it may not have survived its recent trip past the sun and is fading fast. “We'll soon be left with just a dusty rubble pile,” astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory said in an email.
Comets: Ancient Relics of the Solar System
Comets are balls of frozen gas and dust from billions of years ago. Every so often, a comet passes through the inner solar system. These are relics from when the solar system first formed,” said Jason Ybarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory.
The Discovery of Comet SWAN
The newest comet was discovered by amateur astronomers, who spied it in photos taken by a camera on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun. The comet won't swing close to Earth like Tsuchinshan-Atlas did last year.
Other notable flybys included Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the 1990s. The comet, also designated C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after dark slightly north of where the sun set.
Green Color Elusive for Naked Eye
The green color would have been difficult to see with the naked eye. This might have been the object’s first ever trip past the sun, making it particularly vulnerable to breaking apart, Battams said.
Disintegrating Comet Disappears into Outer Reaches
After its flyby, what's left of the comet will disappear into the outer reaches of the solar system, past where scientists think it came from. “It’s going to go so far out that we have no idea if it’s ever going to return,” said Battams.
Expert Insights
Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory noted, "Comets are fragile and can break apart when they get close to the sun." He added that Comet SWAN was likely never seen before in human history and might have come from a vast reservoir of icy bodies beyond Pluto.
Jason Ybarra with the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory stressed, "Comets are not just objects floating in space; they carry the secrets of our solar system's formation." He predicted that scientists would study Comet SWAN extensively to learn more about its origins and fate.