TWO comets will blaze across the night sky this week – before disappearing for hundreds of years.
It’ll be your only chance this lifetime to view the pair as they soar overhead.
The pair are named Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN, and they’ll both appear as bright green fireballs.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to see them both at the exact same time, but you’ve got a good chance of seeing them independently.
Of course, you could be scuppered by bad weather, light pollution, or large buildings getting in the way.
But if you want to spot them, here’s what to look out for.
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And for the best chances, make sure to head out into the countryside, get away from light pollution, and let your eyes adjust to the dark.
Comet Lemmon – how to spot it
Comet Lemmon (officially C/2025 A6) is a fairly new addition to our comet catalogue.
It was only discovered in January after being detected through a telescope at Arizona’s Mount Lemmon – hence the name.
Lemmon will reach its closest point to Earth on Tuesday, October 21.
So that’ll give you a good chance of seeing it.
If you have a pair of binoculars or a small telescope then it’ll be much easier to see.
But if you’re somewhere very dark, you have a chance of seeing the green dot of light with the naked eye.
You’ll want to look up after sunset to the northwest tonight and Tuesday night, right by the Big Dipper in the Ursa Major constellation.
“Locate the handle of the Big Dipper and follow the direction it points to the west,” the Saint Louis Science Centre explained.
“This will direct you to the bright star Arcturus in the constellation Boötes.
“Looking east from Arcturus the next bright stars you see are Epsilon, Sigma and Rho Boötis.
“C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) will be found just below these stars.
“If you are viewing in light pollution, try to find a spot where you can use buildings or trees to block some of the lights closest to you.”
You should be able to see it for the next few weeks, although its magnitude will decline over time.
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)
Sadly, it won’t be back for a while. Lemmon has a vast 1,350-year orbit around the Sun.
So unless we get some serious advances in medical science, you probably won’t live long enough to see its grand return.
Comet SWAN – how to spot it
Comet SWAN is also a newly discovered comet, officially designated as C/2025 R2.
It was picked up by an amateur astronomer using a solar wind instrument called SWAN.
The comet is nearest to Earth today, Monday, October 20.
And by next week, the Moon will make it much harder to see the comet.
If you want to see it, look to the southwest – again, just after sunset is the best time for viewing.
It should be visible close to the horizon, so light pollution will make it harder to see.
Comet SWAN is dimmer, so you have a much better chance of seeing it with a pair of binoculars.
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And estimates suggest that it takes as many as 20,000 years for Comet SWAN to orbit the Sun.
So you won’t get another chance to see Comet SWAN either.
