Comets are among the most exciting celestial objects to watch. These visitors from the outer reaches of the solar system are basically debris — dust, bits of rock, and frozen gases — left over from its formation. There are a bunch of them out there, too. According to NASA, there are probably billions of comets orbiting the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. And sometimes, one passes close enough to Earth for us to see it.
Comet C/2023 A3 peaked in October 2024 and is already starting to fade as it moves away from Earth. If you missed it, don’t worry. There’s another comet set to arrive before the end of the year and a few more coming in 2025. Here’s what to watch for, plus some tips for optimizing your comet watching.
1. Comet 333P/LINEAR
On its first return to our neighborhood since its discovery in 2007, comet 333P/LINEAR will make its closest approach to the Sun on November 29, 2024 and to Earth on December 9, 2024. It should be visible early in the morning in early December and late in the evening.
You may be able to see it with strong binoculars, but a telescope is your best bet. 333P/LINEAR will be visible in both hemispheres.
2. Comet C/2024 G3
Researchers determined that C/2024 G3, discovered in April 2024, was a long-period comet originating from the Oort Cloud. It has come a long way to get here and probably won’t pass us again for at least 200 years, so catch it if you can.
C/2024 G3 is expected to be the brightest comet of 2025. It may even be visible during the day. It reaches perihelion (the point in its path when it passes closest to the Sun) on January 13, 2025, or thereabouts, and will be most visible in the Southern Hemisphere. If you’re not down under, you still could get a glimpse of it because it will be at its brightest during the time it’s visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
One caveat: C/2024 G3 is passing extremely close to the Sun, at which point it may fragment or even evaporate.
3. Comet 210P/Christensen
Comet 210P/Christensen will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere in November and December of 2025. You could spot this one with a good pair of binoculars. There’s even a chance that it will be bright enough to see with the naked eye. On the other hand, it might not survive its trip past the Sun.
Read More: When Was Halley’s Comet Last Seen and Will It Ever Return?
How to See a Comet
There are a few tactics you can do to improve the chances of spotting your target comet, according to Samantha Lawler, an astronomer at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. It may seem obvious, but to see comets, you need to find a dark spot away from city lights. And try to time your viewing to avoid bright moonlight.
Lawler also suggests looking online for a good finder chart. Apps are available to help you figure out exactly where in the sky to look, but Lawler doesn’t recommend using an app while in the field. In fact, you shouldn’t use your phone at all. The light from your device will keep your eyes from adjusting to the dark. If you want to spot a comet and get a good look at it, your eyes need time to adjust to the darkness.
Your comet-watching equipment doesn’t have to be complicated or even expensive. Telescopes are best, but binoculars often work, too. In fact, sometimes binoculars are better.
“Binoculars are excellent when you’re first learning to find comets,” says Lawler, “just because they’re a lot easier.” But even experienced comet watchers use them. Lawler used binoculars to view comet C/2023 A3 this autumn.
So grab your gear, stash your phone in your pocket, and head for a dark spot. We have visitors on the way.
Read More: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Comets
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Avery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of outlets, both print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She’s the author of Bullet With Your Name on It: What You Will Probably Die From and What You Can Do About It, Clerisy Press 2007, as well as several books for young readers. Avery got her start in journalism while attending university, writing for the school newspaper and editing the student non-fiction magazine. Though she writes about all areas of science, she is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and AI–interests she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.
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