Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Astronomy Picture of the Day - Comet C/2025 F2 SWAN
NASA ^ | 18 Apr, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Dan Bartlett

Posted on 04/18/2025 5:19:00 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: In late March, the comet now designated C/2025 F2 SWAN was found independently by 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 SOHO spacecraft. Comet SWAN's coma, its greenish color a signature of diatomic carbon molecules fluorescing in sunlight, is at lower left in 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. Now a target for binoculars and small telescopes in northern hemisphere morning skies this comet SWAN is headed for a perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on May 1. That will bring this visitor from the distant Oort cloud almost as close to the Sun as the orbit of inner planet Mercury.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 04/18/2025 5:19:00 PM PDT by MtnClimber
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 04/18/2025 5:19:18 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

3 posted on 04/18/2025 5:20:06 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

Beautiful.


4 posted on 04/18/2025 5:22:09 PM PDT by AFB-XYZ (( We have two options: 1. Stand up, or 2. Bend over))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber
Bump...


5 posted on 04/18/2025 5:44:13 PM PDT by Bullish (I've never seen such morons... Have you?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: MtnClimber

lil’ bit of copper in that one...


6 posted on 04/18/2025 5:47:24 PM PDT by sit-rep (START DEMANDING INDICTMENTS NOW!!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: sit-rep

You are probably correct. Some other metals will ionize to a blue color but the most likely for this comet is copper.

Several metals impart a blue color when ionized, notably copper(I), arsenic, cesium, indium, lead, tantalum, and cerium.


7 posted on 04/19/2025 3:32:55 AM PDT by cpdiii (cane cutter, deckhand, oilfield roughneck, drilling fluid tech, geologist, pilot, pharmacist ,MAGA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: sit-rep; cpdiii

Beautiful shot. I really like the sequences of comets he has on his Astrobin page, illustrating the cometary structures over time.


8 posted on 04/19/2025 5:39:17 AM PDT by telescope115 (I NEED MY SPACE!!! 🔭)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson