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Your once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the world’s newest comet

Taylah DarnellBy Taylah Darnell
This may just be the celestial event of the century.

Look up into the night sky this October and you may just catch a rare celestial visitor. Known as C/2025 R2 (SWAN), it takes more than 600 years to pass Earth. In other words, this is the first and last time you’ll ever be able to see it.

What makes C/2025 R2 (SWAN) so special?

Identified on 11 September by an amateur astronomer in Ukraine, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is a completely new visitor to our solar system. Vladimir Bezugly, from the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro, first spotted the comet when viewing images from SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), a joint-project spacecraft between NASA and the ESA tasked with observing the sun.

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
C/2025 R2 (SWAN) was only discovered a few weeks ago. (Image: Adam Block)

C/2025 R2 (SWAN) seemingly appeared out of nowhere, a “bright blob" moving close to the sun. It’s not only one of the brightest findings ever made via SOHO, but also happens to be one of the newest comet discoveries in the world. Characterised by its gorgeous green glow and exceptionally long tail (the stream of gas and dust left in its wake), it’s a true sight to behold – and you’ve got one opportunity to catch it.

Experts have been working hard to learn more about the object, which has been classified as a long-period comet with an orbital cycle of over 600 years. For context, Earth’s orbital cycle is just one year, meaning that’s how long it takes us to complete one full lap around the sun. So if C/2025 R2 (SWAN) is about to pass Earth, it won’t be back until 2625.

What’s the likelihood of seeing it in Australia?

Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
The comet is characterised by its green glow and long tail. (Image: Adam Block)

At its most recent, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) clocked a magnitude of +7 (magnitude being the scale astronomers use to measure the brightness of celestial objects). The lower the number, the brighter the object, with +6.5 considered the limit for naked-eye visibility under a non-polluted sky.

While C/2025 R2 (SWAN)’s rating is relatively low compared to others of its kind – Halley’s Comet sat at +2.1 and 96P/Machholz at +2.2 when they last passed Earth – it doesn’t mean you won’t see it. Our interstellar guest is estimated to pass through around mid-October, approximately 40 million kilometres away. For us Earth-dwelling folk, that sounds quite far. But in space talk, it’s quite the opposite!

Hot tips for comet chasers

While a celestial sighting can never be guaranteed, there are definitely ways to improve your chances. One of the easiest ways is simply finding a patch of sky as far-removed from the big smoke as you can get. Light pollution significantly decreases the likelihood of catching an astronomical event, because it’s artificial, it washes out fainter light, reducing the overall contrast of the sky and preventing the human eye from fully adjusting to the dark.

That’s why places like the outback, national parks and other areas are among Australia’s best stargazing spots – they’re isolated by design. Or head to Kestrel Nest EcoHut in NSW, the first official International DarkSky Approved Lodge in Australia.

Kestrel Nest EcoHut in NSW
Kestrel Nest EcoHut is Australia’s only DarkSky Approved Lodge. (Image: Grant Hardwick)

Be sure to pack a good pair of binoculars, too. For those who take the sport a little more seriously, opting for a telescope is your best bet. You’ll also want to bring a camp chair, bug spray, blankets, snacks and a red-light lamp. If you’re determined to catch the show, you may be waiting for a while, so these items will not only keep you comfy but also allow you to stay out later and for longer.

Aussies usually aren’t too lucky when it comes to catching comets, but it seems the odds are in our favour this time. Right now, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) has primarily been visible from the southern hemisphere. Currently tracking further from the sun and closer to Earth, it will reach perigee (its closest point to our planet) on 21 October. C/2025 R2 (SWAN) will then continue on its centuries-long orbit, making this a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

You can stay up to date with C/2025 R2 (SWAN)’s movements via The Sky Live .
Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to visit places like Norway and New Zealand, her favourite place to explore will forever be her homeland.
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Farm fresh produce to a trail of lights: the ultimate guide to Mildura

    Rachel LayBy Rachel Lay
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    The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

    From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

    Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura.
    Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

    Taste Mildura’s produce

    It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

    Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

    Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

    Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

    Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

    Hatted dining & Italian history

    Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

    To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

    Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel.
    Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

    Discover a thriving culture scene

    The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

    The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

    Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

    Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

    Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery.
    Find culture around every corner.

    Wonder at ancient landscapes

    The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

    The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

    Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

    Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

    Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity.
    Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

    Meet your home away from home

    On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

    Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

    When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

    A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura.
    Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

    Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .