STARGAZERS may soon have a chance to spot the “Great Comet of 2026” – potentially the brightest of the year.
Comets are a night sky spectacle, soaring across the darkness in a blaze of glory.
Last year saw several visible comets grace our skies, including Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) (seen above and in this article’s featured pic), which blazed a vibrant green.
And in 2026, we might get a chance to spy C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) with the naked eye, as revealed by Space.com.
In April, the comet is expected to reach its closest point to our Sun.
And just a few days after that, it’ll get to its nearest point to Earth.
NIGHTS TO REMEMBER
Two comets in sky this week that won’t return for 1,300 and 20,000 YEARS
STARRY EYED
Meteor shower with 25 fireballs an HOUR from Halley’s Comet visible tonight
The comet is a fairly new addition to science, having only been discovered in September 2025.
It was detected by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, or PanSTARRS – hence the comet name.
The comet probably takes more than 1,000 years to make a full trip around the Sun, so it’s a rare sight in our skies.
This solar fly-by is expected to take place on April 20.
But it won’t be until April 27 that it reaches its closest point to Earth.
It’ll be just 44 million miles away from our planet. By comparison, the Moon is an average of around 239,000 miles from Earth.
Scientists are torn on exactly how bright the comet will be.
But it could be the brightest of the year – although 2026 may still surprise us.
There’s a chance that it could be visible with the naked eye, or it might need a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.
Astronomers will be able to give better assessments of what to expect from the comet as it gets closer.
What’s the difference between an asteroid, meteor and comet?
- Asteroid: An asteroid is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. Most are found in the asteroid belt (between Mars and Jupiter) but they can be found anywhere (including in a path that can impact Earth)
- Meteoroid: When two asteroids hit each other, the small chunks that break off are called meteoroids
- Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it begins to vapourise and then becomes a meteor. On Earth, it’ll look like a streak of light in the sky, because the rock is burning up
- Meteorite: If a meteoroid doesn’t vapourise completely and survives the trip through Earth’s atmosphere, it can land on the Earth. At that point, it becomes a meteorite
- Comet: Like asteroids, a comet orbits the Sun. However rather than being made mostly of rock, a comet contains lots of ice and gas, which can result in amazing tails forming behind them (thanks to the ice and dust vapourising)
If you’re desperate to spy the comet, you’ve got a good chance on April 17.
That’s the date of the New Moon. Just like how a Full Moon that’s very bright makes it harder to stargaze, a New Moon gives you a wonderfully dark sky to stare up at.
Similarly, as the comet approaches the Sun a few days later, the comet might become harder to see.
But in late April, it might become easier to see again.
Astronomers will be able to give better info on the exact dates as we get closer to April.
To spot it, you’ll ideally want to look up in the night sky just before dawn.
It should be visible in the constellation of Pisces, which you can locate using the Night Sky app on your mobile.
And for the best chance of a good viewing, make sure to get well away from light pollution, give your eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness, and get out into the countryside, either somewhere very high or very flat.
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