This newly found green comet may not have survived its trek past the sun
Comet C/2025 F2, also known as Comet SWAN, was discovered in late March and named after the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument aboard NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, according to the Planetary Society.
The organization, which was founded by astronomer Carl Sagan and is run by CEO Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' stated in an April 10 report that the comet appeared brighter in the wake of its discovery. While there was hope it would soon become visible to the naked eye, it could break apart when it reached its closest point to the sun, known as perihelion.
Comet SWAN could have been easier to spot with an upcoming new moon on April 27, the Planetary Society added. But by Monday, astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory told The Associated Press that after the comet's passage by the sun, all that will remain is 'just a dusty rubble pile.'
This might have been the object's first ever trip past the sun, making it particularly vulnerable to breaking apart, Battams said. 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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