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- Two comets, Lemmon and SWAN, are seen within the evening sky by October 2025.
- Comet Lemmon will seem inexperienced and is finest considered within the northwest sky after sundown.
- Comet SWAN is dimmer and finest considered within the southwest sky, primarily from the Southern Hemisphere.
A once-in-a-lifetime cosmic deal with for stargazers is on the celestial schedule this month, with two comets seen within the evening sky by October 2025.
Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN had been seen starting Oct. 20, simply in time for the height of the Orionid meteor bathe. With the brand new moon falling on Oct. 21 and clear climate in Asheville, residents of Western North Carolina are in for a blinding show.
Tonight’s seen comets make a uncommon method near Earth, and each will peak in brightness between Oct. 20-21. The vibrant inexperienced Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) will move by Earth inside 56 million miles, whereas Comet Swan (C/2025 R2) will come even nearer to Earth, at roughly 24 million miles, in line with Space.com.
Here’s what North Carolina stargazers ought to know concerning the two comets in October’s evening skies.
What is Comet Lemmon?
C/2025 A6 Lemmon or “Comet Lemmon” was first found in January 2025 by the Mount Lemmon Survey, which makes use of a 60-inch telescope at Mt. Lemmon, Arizona. It is thought for showing inexperienced within the evening sky.
The ball of frozen gases speeds previous the earth at 135,000 miles per hour, in line with astronomy.com. The next time Comet Lemmon will make its closest method is in about 1,150 years.
Where within the sky is Comet Lemmon seen?
Comet Lemmon is making a detailed method on Oct. 21, 2025, throughout the brand new moon, and can brighten further close to Halloween and thru early November.
NASA says whereas it is powerful to foretell the brightness of comets, estimates say Lemmon can be finest seen within the night sky close to vibrant stars like Arcturus in Boötes by wanting northwest after sundown.
To spot it, first discover when the solar units at your location. Then, head out about 90 minutes after with a pair of binoculars or a telescope, and look towards the northwest. You’ll discover every evening it will be making a climb northward.
What is Comet SWAN?
C/2025 R2 Swan, or “Comet SWAN,” was first found in September 2025 by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory’s SWAN instrument. Twitter account Astronomy Picture of the Day (@apod) acknowledged that an beginner astronomer found the “unexpectedly bright” comet in pictures of the SWAN instrument.
SWAN will attain solely 1 / 4 of the Earth-sun distance. Stargazers additionally watched for a SWAN-spawned meteor bathe round Oct. 5 as Earth handed by the aircraft of the comet’s orbit, in line with NASA.
Where can Comet SWAN be seen?
Comet SWAN, or C/2025 R2 Swan, can also be seen within the night sky, however within the southwest. SWAN is barely dimmer, though latest observations put it on a brightness magnitude of 5.6, which means it might be seen to the bare eye as a really faint object at nighttime evening sky.
SWAN is finest place for observers within the Southern Hemisphere, so it is likely to be trickier to identify than Lemmon. On Oct. 16, SWAN was positioned about 5 levels to the higher left of the star Xi Serpentis, within the jap part of the constellation Serpens.
To spot it, look within the hours following sundown, earlier than it sinks low on the south-southwest horizon. Use a stargazing app, like Stellarium, to seek out the comet.
What’s the perfect time to see Comet SWAN? Comet Lemmon?
Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN are each anticipated to shine the brightest round Oct. 31-Nov. 2, according to Starwalk.
Beginning Oct. 20, skywatchers can finest discover SWAN and Lemmon within the evening sky throughout the darkest hours. Find a spot with an excellent view of the horizon away from metropolis lights.
Lower magnification on any viewing tools works finest, as comets usually have diffuse comas and lengthy, faint tails that may span a good portion of the sky.
What comet is seen tonight?
Both comets turned seen throughout mid-October and can stay seen till early November.
Lemmon has reached a magnitude +6 on the detection restrict of the human eye, which technically means it may very well be seen and not using a telescope or binoculars, if the sky is completely darkish.
When will Halley’s Comet seem subsequent?
All this comet discuss has stirred curiosity in Halley’s Comet, essentially the most well-known of all comets that appears twice in a human lifetime.
Halley’s Comet is anticipated to seem once more round July 28, 2061, in line with Space.com. Right now, Comet 1P/Halley is within the constellation of Hydra, often called the “female water snake” constellation, near the celestial equator.
When did Halley’s Comet final seem?
Halley’s Comet final appeared in February 1986, though it was the worst attainable viewing circumstances for Earth observers, being that it was out of sight and on the opposite side of the midwinter sun. However, midsummer 2061 guarantees a a lot better view – not less than 10 instances brighter, Space.com says.
Will the climate be clear sufficient to see Comet Lemmon? Comet SWAN?
While we’re nonetheless too far out to know precisely what the climate will maintain throughout peak dates for the 2 comets, Asheville and Western North Carolina climate throughout the week of Oct. 20 appears largely splendid for viewing astronomical phenomena:
Tuesday, Oct. 21 – Mostly sunny, with a excessive close to 75. West wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as excessive as 18 mph. Overnight, largely clear, with a low round 41. Northwest wind round 7 mph turning into west southwest after midnight.
Wednesday, Oct. 22 – Sunny, with a excessive close to 64. Northwest wind 9 to 16 mph, with gusts as excessive as 23 mph. Overnight, largely clear, with a low round 40. Northwest wind 6 to 9 mph, with gusts as excessive as 18 mph.
Thursday, Oct. 23 – Sunny, with a excessive close to 67. West northwest wind 6 to fifteen mph, with gusts as excessive as 23 mph. Overnight, largely clear, with a low round 35.
Friday, Oct. 24 – Mostly sunny, with a excessive close to 66. Overnight, partly cloudy, with a low round 41.
Saturday, Oct. 25 – Mostly sunny, with a excessive close to 68. Overnight, largely cloudy, with a low round 43.
Sunday, Oct. 26 – Mostly cloudy, with a excessive close to 64. Overnight, largely cloudy, with a low round 47.
Oct. 21 is a brand new moon. On Oct. 31, the start of peak dates, the moon can be within the waxing gibbous phase.
Iris Seaton is the trending information reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, a part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].
Lori Comstock, USA TODAY NETWORK, contributed to this report.
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