This newly found green comet may not have survived its trek past the sun
A glowing green comet discovered last month likely did not survive its recent trip past the sun, leaving it impossible to see with the naked eye.
Comet C/2025 F2, also known as Comet SWAN, was discovered in late March and named after the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) instrument aboard NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, according to the Planetary Society.
The organization, which was founded by astronomer Carl Sagan and is run by CEO Bill Nye 'the Science Guy,' stated in an April 10 report that the comet appeared brighter in the wake of its discovery. While there was hope it would soon become visible to the naked eye, it could break apart when it reached its closest point to the sun, known as perihelion.
Comet SWAN could have been easier to spot with an upcoming new moon on April 27, the Planetary Society added. But by Monday, astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory told The Associated Press that after the comet's passage by the sun, all that will remain is 'just a dusty rubble pile.'
This might have been the object's first ever trip past the sun, making it particularly vulnerable to breaking apart, Battams said. After its flyby, what's left of the comet will disappear into the outer reaches of the solar system, past where scientists think it came from.
'It's going to go so far out that we have no idea if it's ever going to return,' said Battams.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Here's what a Beatles song and a fossil have to do with a NASA mission to study asteroids
4 planets align in early-morning sky: How and where to spot them
Could Mass. see the northern lights in the night sky on Wednesday?
Get ready for shooting stars: Lyrid meteor shower to illuminate night sky
Remember when Pluto was a planet? Here's 10 photos NASA took of the dwarf planet
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results. The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars. Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples. China's Secret Weapon In The Space Race Is Already Hurting Us The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space. Read On The Fox News App Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter. According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. Us Prepares To Deorbit International Space Station Amid China Competition Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn't be able to receive any samples. A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA. China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station. This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space. Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this storyOriginal article source: China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
Fox News
3 hours ago
- Fox News
China launches Tianwen-2 space probe to collect samples from asteroid near Mars
China has launched a space probe that will travel to an asteroid near Mars to collect samples and find potential "groundbreaking" results. The Tianwen-2 probe launched Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The target of the Tianwen-2 will be different from its predecessor, the Tianwen-1, which launched a year ago and landed on Mars. Tianwen-2 will be aiming for the asteroid 2016 HO3, which is also known as 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, to bring back samples. The proposed 10-year plan would involve more than just this space mission as China continues to look to expand into space. Zhang Rongqiao, chief designer of the Tianwen-1, told China Central Television he plans to implement the "Tianwen-3" Mars sampling return mission in 2028, while the "Tianwen-4" will head toward Jupiter. According to The Associated Press, the asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, will hopefully offer clues about the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. Even if the CNSA is going to distribute these samples to international partners like they have on previous missions, NASA wouldn't be able to receive any samples. A law passed in 2011, known as the Wolf Amendment, restricts NASA from having any cooperation with the CNSA. China also operates the three-person Tiangong, or "Heavenly Palace," space station. This gives China a step in the right direction to become a major force in the exploration of space. Its permanent station was created after being excluded from the International Space Station over U.S. national security concerns. The Associated Press contributed to this story
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
China's latest spacecraft aims to bring 'groundbreaking' samples back from asteroid near Mars
China launched a spacecraft that promises to return samples from an asteroid near Mars and yield "groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos," the country's space agency said. The Tianwen-2 probe launched early on Thursday from southern China aboard the workhorse Long March 3-B rocket. The probe will collect samples from the asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the main-belt comet 311P, which lies even farther from Earth than Mars, according to the China National Space Administration. Related Stunning new images from James Webb Telescope help unlock mysteries of Jupiter's glowing auroras Shan Zhongde, head of the CNSA, was quoted as saying the Tianwen-2 mission represents a "significant step in China's new journey of interplanetary exploration" and over its decade-long mission will "yield groundbreaking discoveries and expand humanity's knowledge of the cosmos". Samples from 2016HO3 are due to be returned in about two years. The asteroids, chosen for their relatively stable orbits, hopefully will offer clues into the formation of Earth, such as the origins of water. China earlier returned rock samples from the moon's far side back to Earth in a historic mission and has welcomed international cooperation. However, any cooperation with the US hinges on removing an American law banning direct bilateral cooperation with NASA. Related Soviet-era spacecraft from aborted Venus mission set to plummet to Earth The near side of the Moon is seen from Earth, and the far side faces outer space. The far side is also known to have mountains and impact craters, and is much more difficult to reach. China also operates the three person-crewed Tiangong - or "Heavenly Palace" - space station, making the country a major player in a new era of space exploration and the use of permanent stations to conduct experiments in space, especially since the station was entirely Chinese-built after the country was excluded from the International Space Station over US national security concerns. China's space programme is controlled by the People's Liberation Army, the military branch of the ruling Communist Party. Related The Red Planet or bust: Can the US get humans to Mars in Donald Trump's second term? The country's space programme has grown rapidly in the more than 20 years since it first put a man in space, only the third country to do so under its own speed. The space agency has landed an unmanned explorer on Mars and a rover on the far side of the Moon. It aims to put a person on the moon before 2030. A future Tianwen-4 Jupiter mission will explore Jupiter, although details haven't been released.
