Latest news with #MichaelMattiazzo
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Comet C/2025 F2 SWAN was discovered by an Australian amateur astronomer. This is how he found it.
Most days, Michael Mattiazzo logs into his computer and looks through public data from a spacecraft orbiting the Sun. He's not an astronomer by trade, and he's not interested in our stellar neighbour. Instead, he's hunting comets. Michael has been doing this for more than two decades, and when asked why, he's delightfully honest. "It's the kudos," he laughs. " It's the excitement of new discovery. " While most of the night sky is mapped by professional astronomical surveys, Michael studies the tiny patch of sky those surveys can miss. "There's just a little window where a comet can approach from behind the Sun and be hidden," he says. In March, Michael discovered a green comet called C/2025 F2 SWAN — his tenth discovery using public data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Observations of the comet since then suggest it started falling apart in mid-April and disintegrated before it was due to pass the Sun this week. "The Sun is at solar maximum this year and it was just too much for this small, fragile, icy body getting so close to it," he says. But Michael is worried his chance of finding any more comets is also fading — and C/2025 F2 SWAN may be his last. A new state-of-the-art observatory, scheduled to be completed later this year, is likely to sniff out distant comets long before amateur astronomers can. An old solar observatory SOHO was not built to find comets : it was launched in 1995 by the European Space Agency and NASA to study the Sun. Its mission was expected to last just two years, but it's now well past that. Later this year the spacecraft will hit three decades in space. SOHO has been studying the Sun for almost 30 years. ( Supplied:ESA/ATG/NASA SOHO/CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO ) Aboard SOHO is an ultraviolet camera called SWAN that highlights ionised hydrogen and is used by scientists to peek at the solar atmosphere on the far side of the Sun. But when the data became public around the 2000s, amateur astronomers quickly realised that glimpses of comets could sometimes be seen on the camera's edges. When comets get close to the Sun, the water inside them turns into ionised hydrogen, making them appear "very bright", Michael says. "SWAN is an excellent detector for comets. Data from the SWAN all-sky map on March 27 showed a blip which was confirmed be caused by the comet. ( (Supplied: Michael Mattiazzo) ) " I'm just grateful for them for providing that data for us to use. " How to catch a comet But a discovery of a comet needs more than just finding a blip in SWAN data. The sky map which SWAN produces also highlights many false positives. Michael Mattiazzo has his own telescope, but normally discovers comets using publicly available data. ( Supplied: Michael Mattiazzo ) For C/2025 F2 SWAN, the telltale flash of light was discovered on March 30, 2025. Once he was pretty sure it was a new comet, Michael needed to find it before anyone else did. "Well, we sort of keep it secret," he says. "I kept it quiet so that I could confirm it myself … [but] the longer you delay it, the more people can pick it up." The comet was seen on SWAN data taken on March 27, but because the data is only released publicly a few days later, the comet has already travelled into another area of sky . With only a faint smudge in one area of the sky, it's particularly hard to forecast where the comet might have moved to. In the case of C/2025 F2 SWAN, there was another issue — it's a comet only visible in the Northern Hemisphere. As much as he would have liked to find it himself, Michael had to request help from a larger amateur astronomy group. After putting out the call, Qicheng Zang, an astronomer in Arizona, was the first to directly image the comet, and once it was found visually, Michael took a remote snap from a telescope in Utah. An image of comet C/2025 F2 SWAN taken using a remote telescope in Utah on April 6. ( Supplied: Michael Mattiazzo ) An international rivalry The delay in imaging the comet meant Michael wasn't the only one credited with the discovery. It was independently seen in the SWAN data by three people: Michael, American Rob Matson, and Ukrainian Vladimir Bezugly. All three reported the discovery on the Minor Planet Center's "Once we get enough data positions, it's then officially announced," Michael says. The three comet hunters have become co-discoverers on a number of comets since the early 2000s, all by closely looking at the same SWAN data. While he does think of this as "a competition", Michael is also fond of the other two. "Vladimir Bezugly is getting bombs dropped [on him]," he says. "He should get a very special mention, doing this from war-torn Ukraine." Photo shows Retired astronomer Rob McNaught is pictured with a brightly coloured mural in Coonabarabran. The mural features Comet McNaught. Robert H McNaught can close his eyes and pinpoint the greatest moment in his career — eyeballing for the first time one of the brightest comets in living memory. To have a comet named after you — for example "[Terry Lovejoy's] telescope can do automatic survey searching. So it images a patch of sky, and then it does its own processing, the way professionals do it, but at an amateur capacity," Michael says. "That's much harder to do than spending five minutes on a PC every day looking at an ultraviolet image. "[What I do] it's almost cheating." While the search for comets is international, Australians have discovered more than their fair share. Comet McNaught was the brightest comet seen since the 1960s. ( Rob McNaught ) Both Terry Lovejoy and Robert McNaught live in Australia, How comet hunting has evolved In the days of Bill Bradfield in the late 20th century, comets were discovered using amateur astronomer's own telescopes to look directly at the night sky. When the public data from SWAN was made available, this changed the game. According to Michael, SWAN was a "threat to the visual comet hunter". Similarly, the soon-to-be-completed Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is a threat to the comet hunters using SWAN. "It's going to be an amazing survey," Michael says. " It has got a gigantic mirror on it with a gigantic camera … everything will get picked up. " But Michael worries that it will make it even harder for amateur astronomers to spot comets before the experts do, particularly because the data won't be publicly available for two years after it's collected — much too late for comet discoveries. "I think Vera Rubin is really going to shut the door on us," he says. Rebecca McElroy, an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland who is part of the team working on the new observatory, doesn't agree. She thinks the time between the surveys will still leave "room for amateur discoveries", although she understands that it might make it harder than before. The Vera C Rubin Observatory will photograph the entire available sky every few nights. ( Supplied: Mason Productions Inc./LSST Corporation/ ) "The 8.4-metre telescope … will be home to the largest digital camera ever made," she says. "[The telescope] will mean that the southern sky is always being watched for anything interesting that might happen." For Dr McElroy, this means she'll be able to quickly spot supermassive black holes called quasars in the distant sky, but the telescope's sensitivity and scope means it'll see a lot more than that. The telescope is scheduled to start making scientific observations later this year, so the days of SWAN might be almost up. Despite this looming deadline, Michael is still optimistic there will be tiny slivers of sky that SWAN can see, but other telescopes like Vera Rubin can't. "There might still be a little gap where [the comet] comes in on the far side of the Sun," he says. But the best-case scenario for amateur astronomers like him is that the data is searchable. And if scientists are looking for volunteers to comb the results for comets, Michael knows a few amateur astronomers who could be interested. Science in your inbox Get all the latest science stories from across the ABC. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
A Newly Discovered Comet is Dazzling Skygazers—Here's How to See It While You Can
A newly discovered comet is currently visible in the morning sky using a small telescope or binoculars. The comet, which was designated as C/2025 F2 (SWAN), was detected by SWAN, an instrument on the SOHO spacecraft. C/2025 F2 (SWAN) will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere throughout April and is expected to reach perihelion on May are in for an exciting surprise throughout April—a new glowing green comet was recently discovered and is currently visible with a small telescope or binoculars. The comet was detected by SWAN, an instrument on the European Space Agency's SOHO spacecraft, which was designed to study the sun. On April 8, the comet was designated as C/2025 F2 (SWAN) by the Minor Planet Center. It's also referred to by the nickname SWAN25F. C/2025 F2 (SWAN) was discovered by Vladimir Bezugly from Ukraine and Michael Mattiazzo from Australia. Per EarthSky, both amateur astronomers detected the comet on March 29 by examining images taken by the SOHO spacecraft. Mattiazzo posted a photo of the glowing green comet to X. The comet is currently visible with binoculars or a small telescope. To see it, look toward the northeastern horizon just before sunrise. In late April, the comet may be visible during evening hours as it approaches perihelion—its nearest point to the sun—which it is expected to reach on May 1. According to The Planetary Society, there will be a new moon on April 27, which may make seeing the comet easier. SWAN25F has gotten notably brighter since it was initially discovered. If it continues to brighten, it may be visible to the naked eye. However, The Planetary Society notes that it is difficult to predict what comets will look like in advance. By early May, the comet will no longer be visible from most of the Northern Hemisphere, so be sure to catch a glimpse of this rare phenomenon while you can. That said, those in the Southern Hemisphere will be able to see the comet in May just after sunset above the horizon. Read the original article on Martha Stewart
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New comet spotted: How to see SWAN25F
The Brief A new comet, nicknamed SWAN25F, was given its official designation as C/2025 F2. The comet was co-discovered by Vladimir Bezugly and Michael Mattiazzo. The comet is best viewed looking toward the east-northeastern horizon just before sunrise. Attention sky watchers! A new comet has been officially announced and you might miss your chance to see it before it could potentially get burned up by the sun. Dig deeper The comet, nicknamed SWAN25F, was officially designated as C/2025 F2 by the Minor Planet Center on April 8, according to The backstory SWAN was co-discovered by Vladimir Bezugly from Ukraine and Michael Mattiazzo from Australia. The comet was nicknamed after the SWAN Instrument which was used to discover it. The best way to view the comet is to look toward the east-northeastern horizon just before sunrise. Binoculars or a telescope will improve your chances of seeing it, Earthsky advised. For those who are avid star gazers, look to the star Alpha Andromedae, or Alpheratz, the brightest of the four stars in the Great Square. The comet will pass fairly close to Alpha Andromedae on April 13, 2025. What's next In a few weeks, the comet will make its closest approach to the sun and, if it survives, it could be seen during sunsets beginning in May. The Source Information for this article was gathered from and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory website. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
There's a new comet in the sky, and it's already visible through binoculars
One of the great things about astronomy is that it's full of surprises, especially when it comes to comets — you just can't predict when a new one might pop up. But when one does appear, it gets both amateur and professional astronomers very excited. And that's why there's a lot of buzz around a recently discovered comet that is now visible through binoculars, if you know where to look. The comet is so new that it doesn't yet have an official designation, which is provided by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center (MPC). For now it goes by the name SWAN25F. It's named in part after the SWAN (Solar Wind Anisotropies) camera on board NASA and the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. It should get an official name soon. The comet was discovered by Australian amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo, who used SWAN images available to the public. He previously used the same method to discover a comet in 2020. Right now, the SWAN25F can be found in the early morning sky low in the eastern horizon, in the constellation Pegasus. But over the next few weeks, as the comet moves through our solar system, it will rise a little higher in the morning sky. The comet is so new that the MPC is waiting for additional observations to get more information from it, such as its origin. However, Paul Wiegert, a professor at Western University's department of physics and astronomy in London, Ont., said that at the moment, its believed to come from the furthest reaches of our solar system, called the Oort cloud, where hundreds of millions — or even trillions — of icy objects reside. SWAN25F, seen here, was photographed by amateur astronomer Rolando Ligustri using a remote telescope in Utah. (Rolandro Ligustri) The Oort cloud is mind-blowingly far away. The distance from the sun to Earth is roughly 150 million kilometres, and that measurement is called one astronomical unit (AU). The distance from the sun to the Oort cloud is estimated to be anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 AU. When and how to see it If you'd like to see this ancient relic left over from the formation of our solar system, you need a few things. First, you need to get up early. SWAN25F is currently low on the eastern horizon and visible before sunrise. You can download astronomy apps on your phone that will allow you to search for particular constellations — in this case, Pegasus. Second, you need a pair of binoculars. At the moment, the comet isn't visible to the naked eye. It's currently at magnitude 8. Visually, the naked eye can only see magnitude 6 in dark-sky locations (in astronomy, brightness is on a scale where lower and negative numbers signify brighter objects). (CBC News) Third, you need a bit of luck. SWAN25F reached its closest point to the sun, called perihelion, some time in February. Now, it's heading toward us, which is in part why it's getting brighter. But whether or not that brightness will continue is unknown. Astronomers are hoping it will become visible to the naked eye by the end of the month. "We expect it to get brighter, not because it's necessarily getting more solar heating and being more active and producing more of the gasses that we see, but our geometry relative to it, we're going to get closer to it," Wiegert said. "And all of those details are going to work in its favour. So we're hoping that it's going to get quite a bit brighter over the next month or so." And that luck also extends to having clear skies. If the comet does continue to remain intact and not break apart as some do — though it's passed the most dangerous time for this to happen, when its closest to the sun — it should continue to both brighten in the sky and rise higher in the next three weeks. Amateur astronomer Dan Bartlett imaged SWAN25F from June Lake, Cali., (Dan Bartlett) But be warned: the comet won't look like the photos you see online, or even in this story. Those images are made by shooting multiple photographs through telescopes and combining them together. Instead, what you'll see through your binoculars will be a faint fuzzy patch of light. And while that may not seem very exciting, just think about how far that object has travelled. "A new comet is always exciting. They appear unexpectedly. They're quite beautiful. They do tell us a lot, too, about our solar system, and about how the planets formed," Wiegert said. "So, you know, it's a sort of a beautiful addition to our springtime skies."
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Amateur astronomer discovers bright green comet SWAN25F — and you can see it too
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An amateur astronomer has discovered a bright green comet dive-bombing toward the inner solar system. The emerald-colored object will slingshot around the sun in less than a month, when it could become visible to the naked eye — but anyone with decent backyard gear may be able to see it now. The new comet, dubbed SWAN25F, was discovered April 1 by Australian amateur astronomer Michael Mattiazzo, who noticed the comet in photos captured by the SWAN camera on the European Space Agency's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft, according to Multiple astronomers have since confirmed SWAN25F's existence, but the comet has not yet been officially recognized by NASA's Minor Planets Center. As a result, there are still large gaps in what we know about this object's size, origin, distance, speed and orbit. But researchers have started to piece together its trajectory through the solar system and believe it will reach perihelion — its closest point to the sun — on May 1 and reach a minimum distance of around 31 million miles (50 million kilometers) from our home star. News of the potential new comet spread quickly, enabling multiple astrophotographers to capture striking pictures of the comet just days after it was discovered, Live Science's sister site reported. The green comet has also been snapped by the Virtual Telescope Project in Manciano, Italy. One of the best photos of SWAN25F so far was captured by astrophotographers Michael Jäger and Gerald Rhemann from Weißenkirchen, Austria (see above). Related: 'Totally amazing' astronaut photo captures comet C/2024 G3 ATLAS shooting past Earth from the ISS Based on that photo, SWAN25F likely has a tail spanning up to 2 degrees across the night sky, Jäger told Live Science. That is quite significant for a comet this far from the sun, although the tail is currently quite faint, he added. The comet's emerald glow is likely the result of dicarbon — a form of carbon where a pair of atoms are double-bonded to one another, which has been known to give off a green color in other comets. Initial observations of SWAN25F revealed that the comet had an apparent magnitude of around +10, but it has quickly brightened to less than +8. (Apparent magnitude is measured relative to the brightest objects in the night sky, which have a value of zero. The brighter the comet gets, the lower its magnitude will get.) "The comet appears to be brightening quite quickly," Nick James, the director of the comets section at the British Astronomical Association, told earlier in the week. "It is too early to predict what the peak brightness will be. We need a few more days of observations to confirm the current trend, but it should become at least a binocular object." But James' prediction has already come true, as the comet can now be seen with a decent pair of stargazing binoculars or a decent telescope, reported. The website has also mapped where the comet can be seen over the next few days. RELATED STORIES —Mysterious, city-size 'centaur' comet gets 300 times brighter after quadruple cold-volcanic eruption —Rare illusion gives 'once-in-a-lifetime' comet a seemingly impossible 2nd tail after closest approach to Earth for 80,000 years —Explosive, green 'devil comet' has hidden spiral swirling around its icy heart, photo trickery reveals The comet will continually brighten as it approaches perihelion, and Jäger predicts that it could peak at around +5, which would make it visible to the naked eye. However, the comet's position puts it close to the horizon in the night sky, which could make it hard to spot. As researchers continue to study SWAN25F, it will become clearer when and where the comet will be most visible.
