New Comet Discovered: Introducing Comet SWAN25F

New Comet Discovered: Introducing Comet SWAN25F

Amateur astronomers are monitoring a bright new comet easily detectable by backyard telescopes. Introducing, Comet SWAN25F . . . 

The comet is named after the SWAN camera onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Australian amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo noticed the comet in online images. SWAN is a special camera that maps hydrogen in the solar wind. This suggests the comet may be rich in the element.

"The comet's tail is at least 2 degrees long," says Michael Jaeger, who teamed up with Gerald Rhemann to photograph the comet low in the morning sky from Weißenkirchen, Austria:

"At the turn of the month, the comet could become brighter than 5th magnitude," predicts Jaeger.

"The comet appears to be brightening quite quickly," says Nick James of the British Astronomical Association. "It is too early to predict what the peak brightness will be. We need a few more days of observations to confirm the current trend, but it should become at least a binocular object."

Image Credit: Michael Jaeger & Gerald Rhemann
Capture Date: April 6, 2025

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