NASA PUNCH Mission's Unprecedented Watch on Comet SWAN Reveals Insights

• NASA's PUNCH mission conducted unprecedented, near-constant observation of comet SWAN (C/2025 R2) for 40 days, imaging it every four minutes.
• Comet SWAN, discovered by Vladimir Bezugly, exhibited a brightly colored coma that later became triangular, suggesting possible nucleus fragmentation.
• The comet's tail was strongly influenced by solar wind, causing it to appear to drift backward visually.
• SWAN passed 25.10 million miles from Earth in late October, making it almost visible to the naked eye and easily observable with binoculars.
• The PUNCH mission's detailed tracking of comets like SWAN provides crucial data for understanding space weather and protecting technology.

Why It Matters: Unprecedented comet tracking reveals solar wind impacts, protecting space assets.