The new comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is becoming more visible

New Comet soars into the sky

There’s a new, fairly bright comet in the sky, and it was just discovered on Friday, September 12, 2025. The Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument on the SOHO spacecraft detected it. And it’s relatively bright (as comets go), shining at around magnitude 7. That’s not bright enough to see with the eye. But it’s bright enough to detect using binoculars, or a camera with a 200-mm lens.

The International Astronomical Union has now given the comet an official name: C/2025 R2 (SWAN). It was originally and temporarily designated SWAN25B.

Right now the comet appears among the background stars of the constellation Virgo. Its trajectory is currently under analysis. So it’s too early to determine if the comet will get brighter or fade, but good news is observers in the Northern Hemisphere might be able to get a glimpse of the comet, as it will gradually move away from the area where we see the sun. At the moment, it’s best positioned for observers in the Southern Hemisphere. Because it’s so close to the sun, it will be tricky to spot. Check out the finder map below.

The reported exact location in the sky at discovery was right ascension (RA) 13 08.5 and declination (DEC) -09 10.

More on the comet’s path

By comparing recent observations, NASA/JPL has been able to determine an orbit. It suggests this comet completes an orbit around the sun
every 22,554 years!

This means that if you are able to see the new comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) using binoculars or with a camera, this will be a once in a lifetime sighting. If the comet survives this pass, it will return around year 24,579.

The International Astronomical Union estimates the comet will have its closest approach to Earth around October 12 – 19, 2025. And preliminary estimates predict it might get as bright as about magnitude 5.8. But only time will tell, considering that comets are so erratic and unpredictable.

The latest observations of Comet SWAN R2

Australian comet expert Michael Matiazzo captured a new image of the comet on September 14 (above). It shows an impressive, 2.5-degree-long tail, which translates to about 5 full-moon diameters long!

However, since a camera is more sensitive than the human eye, this does not mean you will see such a long tail if you see it visually.

Mattiazzo pointed out that the comet’s brightness has increased to around magnitude 6.9, while other observers say the comet might be even slightly brighter.

Although the new comet is currently very low on the western horizon, observers in the southern U.S. might get a glimpse of the celestial visitor – if it holds and doesn’t disintegrate – because every evening it’s getting slightly higher. So, it might become visible from the southern U.S. very soon.

In fact, an observer from Zacatecas, Mexico, photographed Comet SWAN R2. And observer Mike Olason reported that he was able to faintly capture the comet on September 13 from Tucson, Arizona, although extremely low in the horizon.

Meanwhile, observers in the Southern Hemisphere have been in the front seats during the first sightings of this surprising new comet.