Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is a long-period comet first spotted on September 11, 2025 by amateur astronomer Vladimir Bezugly in publicly available images from the SWAN (Solar Wind Anisotropies) instrument aboard the SOHO spacecraft, before receiving an official designation from the IAU.
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Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is a long-period comet first spotted on September 11, 2025 by amateur astronomer Vladimir Bezugly in publicly available images from the SWAN (Solar Wind Anisotropies) instrument aboard the SOHO spacecraft, before receiving an official designation from the IAU. It was already unusually bright (magnitude ~7.3) with a well-developed tail at the time of discovery, just hours from perihelion. Its orbit suggests a period of roughly 22,500 years, meaning this is likely its only visit to the inner solar system in recorded history.
[Source: Wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2025_R2_(SWAN); NASA APOD, apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250918.html]
Sky Location
The chart above shows where this image sits on the night sky. The yellow outline is its field of view, with the picture itself drawn at its true orientation; north is up and east is left. Click the chart to zoom in, and use "open full resolution" for the full-size chart.
Image Details
| Moon Phase: | Waxing Crescent |
|---|---|
| Camera: | ToupTek ATR2600C |
| Optics: | Skywatcher Esprit 120ED, 840 mm focal length, f/7 (120 mm aperture, APO triplet) |
| Filter: | Triad Quad |
| Binning: | 1x1 |
| Date: | 2025-10-25 |
| Number of images: | 6 |
| Exposure per image: | 30 s |
| Total imaging time: | 3 min |
PixInsight Processing
- Image Integration (x5)
- Dynamic Crop
- BlurXTerminator (AI deconvolution)
- Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch (x2)
