Comet Swift–Tuttle may reach an apparent magnitude of about 0.7 during its 2126 return after the 2026 Perseid shower.
Apparent magnitude measures how bright an object looks from Earth, with smaller numbers representing brighter objects. A magnitude near 0.7 would make Swift–Tuttle a bright naked-eye comet under suitable observing conditions, although its visible appearance would depend on its distance, activity, and sky conditions.
The estimate concerns the comet itself, not individual Perseid meteors. During the annual shower, most observers see tiny particles burning high in Earth’s atmosphere; the parent comet remains far away in space. The comet’s return in 2126 is therefore a separate astronomical event.
Swift–Tuttle was unusually bright during its 1862 discovery apparition, when it was reported as bright as Polaris. Its predicted 2126 brightness is less extreme than that comparison, but still potentially conspicuous. Magnitude estimates for comets can change as improved observations refine their orbital and physical models.