The photos show that Comet SWAN brightened significantly from April 3 to 6 before fading again, indicating that some sort of outburst occurred. (Photo credit: Mike Olason)
An emerald-green comet discovered earlier this month has just “exploded” as it continues to move toward the inner solar system before eventually orbiting the sun.
The icy plume that temporarily brightened the comet may indicate that it is a “cold volcano.” The eruption may also affect the comet's naked-eye visibility — but it's too early to say for sure.
Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN) was spotted on April 1 by an Australian amateur astronomer analyzing data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint project between NASA and the European Space Agency. The green comet, previously known as SWAN25F before being officially recognized by NASA, is projected to reach its closest point to the Sun on May 1, when it will be 31 million miles (50 million kilometers) from our star.
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