3I/ATLAS and R2 SWAN Are Behaving The Same Way

Two objects in our solar system are displaying strikingly similar characteristics, and the timing has observers asking questions. 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor that has been tracked for months, and R2 SWAN, an object that appeared seemingly out of nowhere, are both glowing green, both displaying sunward-facing tails, and both positioned on opposite sides of Earth at the exact same time.

R2 SWAN was discovered on September 11th, 2025, by Ukrainian astronomer Vladimir Bezugly while examining images from the SWAN instrument aboard the SOHO spacecraft. According to reports, what made this discovery unusual was the timing. Bezugly found the object just one day before it reached its closest approach to the Sun on September 12th, at a distance of approximately 75 million kilometers, which is half the distance between Earth and the Sun. The object had been hidden behind the Sun’s glare, sitting within 30 degrees of the Sun between August 8th and September 13th, making it too close for most telescopes to observe.

Within days of discovery, R2 SWAN’s brightness surged from magnitude 11 to 7.4, with its tail stretching an astonishing 2 degrees across space. Its apparent behavior veered away from everything seen in decades of comet tracking.

Both R2 SWAN and 3I/ATLAS display a distinctive greenish glow, which comes from diatomic carbon, also called C2, a gas that glows under sunlight. While this is normal comet behavior, both objects have also displayed what appears to be sunward-facing tails. According to a paper published through the Astronomers Telegram in November, R2 SWAN’s anti-tail formation resulted from larger dust particles that remain near the orbital plane and project as a sunward-pointing feature when viewed from certain angles. However, with most comets this anti-tail is an optical illusion based on viewing geometry. According to Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, 3I/ATLAS’s sunward jet is not an optical illusion, which makes it stand out from thousands of known comets.

R2 SWAN

Geophysicist Stefan Burns noted that R2 SWAN is becoming more and more similar to 3I/ATLAS day by day, with both objects strategically positioned in what some have described as a pincer maneuver, a military term for flanking from both sides.

Per analysis from NASA’s Peter Veres, highlighted by Avi Loeb, these two objects came from completely different directions. R2 SWAN originated from the direction of the Aquarius constellation, while 3I/ATLAS arrived from Sagittarius near the galactic center. They are two completely separate objects that happen to be in our solar system at the same time.

R2 SWAN is now fading as it moves away from the Sun and Earth, and its fragmentation means it may become even harder to observe in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, 3I/ATLAS continues its journey toward Jupiter with a closest approach to Earth coming on December 19th. The question remains: why are we seeing so much activity in our solar system right now? Is this statistical noise, or are we finally paying attention to what has always been there?

Sources

Cabrera, S. (2025, November 28). 3I/ATLAS Update: Interstellar object allegedly poised to “Trap” Earth with R2 swan comet — Anomalies revealed. International Business Times UK. https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/3i-atlas-update-interstellar-object-allegedly-poised-trap-earth-r2-swan-comet-anomalies-1758677

Stefan Burns. (2025, November 25). Comet R2 SWAN Has Grown a Sunward Tail like 3I/ATLAS (!) as Both Now Strategically Surround Earth 👾 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syw91PQvNWc

The Astronomer’s Telegram. (n.d.). The Astronomer’s Telegram. https://www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=17505

Updates on the non-gravitational acceleration of 3I/ATLAS. (2025, November 27). Medium. https://medium.com/@avi-loeb/updates-on-the-non-gravitational-acceleration-of-3i-atlas-89ee7220c5d7