Double comet sighting and meteor shower to brighten October skies

Stargazers may be in for a rare treat. Two bright comets are expected to share the night sky in October, coinciding with a meteor shower.

What is Comet SWAN R2 and how was it discovered?
A long-tailed comet named C/2025 R2 (SWAN) was first spotted near the sun on 12 September. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory detected the object with its SWAN instrument. Ukrainian amateur astronomer Vladimir Bezugly identified the comet in SWAN’s images. It was briefly labelled SWAN25B before the International Astronomical Union reclassified it as C/2025 R2 (SWAN).

The comet takes about 22,554 years to orbit the sun. Its bright tail stretches across a distance equal to five full moons. For now, it can be seen near Mars just after dusk, best viewed from the Southern Hemisphere.

When will SWAN R2 be closest to Earth?
On 21 October, SWAN R2 will pass just 0.27 astronomical units from Earth. That distance is roughly one quarter of Earth’s distance to the sun. At that point, astronomers expect it could shine at magnitude 4. This brightness would make it visible to the naked eye in dark skies. Even if it does not brighten enough, binoculars or telescopes will reveal the comet.