Two of Three New Comets May Be Visible Above Oregon, Washington and Coastlines

Published 09/29/25 at 7:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Pacific City, Oregon) – Three comets in our solar system are now being checked out by astronomers and even documented by some citizen scientists. At least one is on a path that may make it visible to those in Oregon, Washington and their coastlines. (The graphic from OMSI shows SWAN visible in the southwestern sky - not bad for viewing from the Washington or Oregon coast.)

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), comet Lemmon and comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) are now wandering our stellar neighborhood. One man in France caught an amazing image of SWAN and ATLAS side-by-side – a point-of-view coincidence nothing short of cosmic.

But will we see them? “Good question,” said OMSI astronomy expert Jim Todd to Oregon Coast Beach Connection.

It's possible SWAN may be visible to the unaided eye, but the other two are very unlikely.

Back in early September, astronomer Vladimir Bezugly was looking over images from the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera on the Solar and Heliospheric Observer (SOHO) spacecraft, which is there to keep an eye on our sun. He wasn't privy to any major data stream, either. This was low-rez stuff on a public website featuring the spacecraft's images. There, he spotted something that was moving around the starry background.

So it was called comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) - also known as SWAN25B. And it's been making an amazing show in the skies above Earth, at least to those with the right equipment. There is a decent possibility it could be visible from Oregon and Washington.

This meteor - or irridium flare - was caught above Manzanita.

“Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) may become visible in the month of October,” Todd told Oregon Coast Beach Connection. “The International Astronomical Union estimates the comet will have its closest approach to Earth around October 12 – 19, 2025. And preliminary estimates predict it might get as bright as about magnitude +5.8. Best view with telescope or binoculars during moonless night.”

If you can get a clear night and know where to look, your backyard telescope or binoculars may do the trick right now. See an outstanding photo of it on NASA's site.

SWAN – especially – has been showing off since it drifted out of view from the southern hemisphere and into the northern.

“Near the western horizon after sunset and slightly easier to see in binoculars from the southern hemisphere, this comet SWAN will pass near Zubenelgenubi, alpha star of Libra, on October 2. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is scheduled to make its closest approach to our fair planet around October 20,” said NASA.

Comet ATLAS Captured Above Oregon, Even Coast - Photos, Video - last year

Yet there's also another cosmic interloper getting some attention: Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS). That one, however, is going to play hard-to-catch.

How to find this year's ATLAs - courtesy OMSI

“Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) will reach perihelion on October 8, 2025 (not visible), at just 0.33 AU, so intense heating could threaten its survival,” Todd said. “If it remains intact, the comet will make two close approaches to Earth on November 26, 2025. It is predicted to be at magnitude of +11 or higher within the circumpolar region or near Ursa Major in November. Best view with telescope or binoculars during moonless night.”

NEOWISE caught in Bandon on the south Oregon coast by Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts

Both comets are made of gas and not dust. As NASA put it: dust is much more reflective of sunlight, so they are going to be sizably fainter than wondrous spectacles like NEOWISE in 2020. (See Comet SWAN and Mars)

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