Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2025 April 18
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            Comet C/2025 F2 SWAN
                Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Dan Bartlett

   Explanation: In late March, the comet now designated [5]C/2025 F2 SWAN
   was found independently by [6]citizen scientists Vladimir Bezugly,
   Michael Mattiazzo, and Rob Matson while examining publicly available
   image data from the Solar Wind ANisotropies (SWAN) camera on the
   sun-staring [7]SOHO spacecraft. Comet SWAN's coma, its greenish color a
   signature of diatomic carbon molecules fluorescing in sunlight, is at
   lower left in [8]this telescopic image. SWAN's faint ion tail extends
   nearly two degrees toward the upper right across the field of view. The
   interplanetary scene was captured in clear but moonlit skies from June
   Lake, California on April 14. Seen against background of stars toward
   the constellation Andromeda, the comet was then some 10 light-minutes
   from our fair planet. [9]Now a target for binoculars and small
   telescopes in northern hemisphere morning skies [10]this comet SWAN is
   headed for a perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on May 1.
   [11]That will bring this visitor from the distant [12]Oort cloud almost
   as close to the Sun as the orbit of inner planet Mercury.

              Tomorrow's picture: interplanetary post-modernism
     __________________________________________________________________

      [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search |
   [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss |
                                    [23]>
     __________________________________________________________________

    Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([27]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [28]Specific rights apply.
              [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC,
                         [33]NASA Science Activation
                           & [34]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2504/C2025_F2SWAN_20250414_DEBartlett.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/h2ologg/
   5. https://earthsky.org/space/new-comet-swan25f-april-2025-how-to-see-it/
   6. https://science.nasa.gov/citizen-science/
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/mission/soho/
   8. https://app.astrobin.com/i/geb0ha?r=D
   9. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/new-comet-swan-now-visible-in-small-scopes/
  10. https://theskylive.com/c2025f2-info
  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_F2_(SWAN)
  12. https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/oort-cloud/
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250417.html
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=250418
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250419.html
  24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  31. https://www.nasa.gov/
  32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  33. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  34. http://www.mtu.edu/