Latest news with #Battams
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Science
- Time of India
A green comet likely is breaking apart and won't be visible to the naked eye
A green comet likely is breaking apart and won't be visible to the naked eye (Picture credit: AP) NEW YORK: A newly discovered green comet tracked by telescopes has likely broken apart as it swung by the sun, dashing hopes of a naked-eye spectacle. Comet SWAN , hailing from the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto, has been visible through telescopes and binoculars over the past few weeks with its streaming tail, but experts said it may not have survived its recent trip past the sun and is fading fast. "We'll soon be left with just a dusty rubble pile," astrophysicist Karl Battams with the US Naval Research Laboratory said in an email. Comets are balls of frozen gas and dust from billions of years ago. Every so often, a comet passes through the inner solar system. "These are relics from when the solar system first formed," said Jason Ybarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory. The newest comet was discovered by amateur astronomers, who spied it in photos taken by a camera on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun. The comet won't swing close to Earth like Tsuchinshan-Atlas did last year. Other notable flybys included Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the 1990s. The comet, also designated C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after dark slightly north of where the sun set. Its green color would have been difficult to see with the naked eye. 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.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
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
NBC News
21-04-2025
- Science
- NBC News
A green comet likely is breaking apart and won't be visible to the naked eye
A newly discovered green comet tracked by telescopes has likely broken apart as it swung by the sun, dashing hopes of a naked-eye spectacle. Comet SWAN, hailing from the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto, has been visible through telescopes and binoculars over the past few weeks with its streaming tail, but experts said it may not have survived its recent trip past the sun and is fading fast. 'We'll soon be left with just a dusty rubble pile,' astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory said in an email. Comets are balls of frozen gas and dust from billions of years ago. Every so often, a comet passes through the inner solar system. 'These are relics from when the solar system first formed,' said Jason Ybarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory. The newest comet was discovered by amateur astronomers, who spied it in photos taken by a camera on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun. The comet won't swing close to Earth like Tsuchinshan-Atlas did last year. Other notable flybys included Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the 1990s. The comet, also designated C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after dark slightly north of where the sun set. Its green color would have been difficult to see with the naked eye. 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 Independent
21-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Astronomers left disappointed as green comet meets fiery end before it can be seen
A news discovered comet, Comet SWAN, appears to have met a fiery end during its close encounter with the sun, disappointing astronomers hoping for a vibrant celestial display. Originating from the distant Oort Cloud, far beyond Pluto, the comet had been captivating observers with its distinctive tail, visible through telescopes and binoculars. However, experts now believe the icy wanderer likely fragmented as it swung past the sun, rapidly diminishing its brightness and dashing hopes of naked-eye visibility. 'We'll soon be left with just a dusty rubble pile,' astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory said in an email. Comets are balls of frozen gas and dust from billions of years ago. Every so often, a comet passes through the inner solar system. 'These are relics from when the solar system first formed,' said Jason Ybarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory. The newest comet was discovered by amateur astronomers, who spied it in photos taken by a camera on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun. The comet won't swing close to Earth like Tsuchinshan-Atlas did last year. Other notable flybys included Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the 1990s. The comet, also designated C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after dark slightly north of where the sun set. Its green color would have been difficult to see with the naked eye. 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.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-04-2025
- Science
- San Francisco Chronicle
A green comet likely is breaking apart and won't be visible to the naked eye
NEW YORK (AP) — A newly discovered green comet tracked by telescopes has likely broken apart as it swung by the sun, dashing hopes of a naked-eye spectacle. Comet SWAN, hailing from the Oort Cloud beyond Pluto, has been visible through telescopes and binoculars over the past few weeks with its streaming tail, but experts said it may not have survived its recent trip past the sun and is fading fast. 'We'll soon be left with just a dusty rubble pile,' astrophysicist Karl Battams with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory said in an email. Comets are balls of frozen gas and dust from billions of years ago. Every so often, a comet passes through the inner solar system. 'These are relics from when the solar system first formed,' said Jason Ybarra, director of the West Virginia University Planetarium and Observatory. The newest comet was discovered by amateur astronomers, who spied it in photos taken by a camera on a spacecraft operated by NASA and the European Space Agency to study the sun. The comet won't swing close to Earth like Tsuchinshan-Atlas did last year. Other notable flybys included Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the 1990s. The comet, also designated C/2025 F2, would have been visible just after dark slightly north of where the sun set. Its green color would have been difficult to see with the naked eye. 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. ___
