Watch comet PANSTARRS 'switch on' its second tail as it makes closest approach to Earth

A sungazing spacecraft captured spectacular views of Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) as its ion tail appeared to "switch on" and swing away from the sun during a close approach to Earth on April 26. Comet C/2025 R3 was discovered in September 2025 and quickly stirred up excitement among the comet-chasing community during its rush toward the sun , with some wondering if PanSTARRS could brighten enough to be the great comet of 2026. The wandering comet put on an impressive show in the weeks leading up to its brush with the sun during perihelion on April 19. It then went on to dazzle stargazers in spacecraft imagery around perigee, when the icy wanderer passed closest to Earth in its seemingly one-off orbit, before cutting a return path to the outer regions of the solar system . The joint NASA/ESA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)'s coronograph, an instrument that blocks out the light of the sun's bright disk, captured impressive imagery of Comet PanSTARRS' ion tail brightening as it soared past the sun. This narrow tail shifted to stream directly away from the sun, in contrast to the broader, dust-laden primary tail. Why does comet PanSTARRS have two tails? Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) shines in the skies over England. (Image credit: Josh Dury.) Comets develop tails as they approach the sun and heat up. Solar radiation causes material locked inside the comet's solid nucleus to escape through a process called sublimation, releasing dust and gas into space. …