A newly spotted green comet might not be putting on the show sky watchers were hoping for. The comet, called Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), has likely started to break apart after getting too close to the sun.
Comet SWAN Came From the Edge of the Solar System
Comet SWAN came from a place far beyond Pluto called the Oort Cloud. This cloud is full of icy objects. For the last few weeks, the comet could be seen using binoculars or telescopes, showing off a long, glowing tail.
Scientists Say the Comet Is Falling Apart
Astrophysicist Karl Battams from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory explained that the comet is quickly losing its shape. He believes all that will be left soon is a pile of dust and tiny rocks.
What Makes Comets Special?
Comets are made of frozen gas and dust. They are very old, dating back to when the solar system was just forming. When they travel close to the sun, some become bright enough to see from Earth.
This May Have Been the Comet’s First Visit to the Sun
Since this may have been Comet SWAN’s first trip around the sun, scientists think it was fragile. The intense heat and gravity could have caused it to break into pieces.
The Comet’s Green Glow Was Hard to Spot
Even before it began to break apart, the comet’s green color was difficult to see without special equipment. It would have been visible just after sunset, slightly north of where the sun went down.
Green Comet Spotted Thanks to a Spacecraft Camera
Amateur astronomers discovered Comet SWAN using pictures taken by a spacecraft. This spacecraft, run by NASA and the European Space Agency, usually studies the sun but captured the comet by chance.
Will It Come Back? Probably Not
After its pass by the sun, what remains of the comet is heading back to deep space. Battams says it’s going so far away that it might never return again.
Other Famous Comets That Passed Near Earth
Unlike famous comets like Tsuchinshan-Atlas (2024), Neowise (2020), or Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake from the 1990s, Comet SWAN never came close to Earth. Those comets created amazing sky views, but this one is disappearing before most people ever saw it.
