Comet SWAN photobombs the 'Pillars of Creation' in epic space snapshot
Comet SWAN just made a rare cameo next to the iconic "Pillars of Creation," and astronomer Gasparri caught it all from Chile's Atacama Desert.
The comet's green glow lined up perfectly with the famous dust columns on October 17, 2025—just weeks after its closest swing by the Sun.
How this cosmic photo happened
Gasparri used a 130mm Newtonian reflector and stacked 40 photos to capture both the comet and the Eagle Nebula's pillars in one frame.
The result? A striking shot showing SWAN's bright coma right beside those legendary towers of gas and dust.
Quick facts about Comet SWAN
Discovered in September by Vladimir Bezgly via NASA's SOHO spacecraft, Comet SWAN got closest to Earth around October 20.
It was bright enough for binoculars or small telescopes after sunset near Sagittarius and Capricornus.
If you missed it, don't worry—it'll be back... in about 1,400 years!