Comets are one of the most interesting celestial bodies to observe. Visitors from the outer solar system are basically remnants of dust, rock fragments, and frozen gas left over from the formation process. There are also difficulties there. According to NASAThere are probably billions of comets orbiting the sun. kuiper belt and Oort Cloud. And sometimes they get close enough to Earth for us to see them.
Comet C/2023 A3 peaked in October 2024 and has already begun to fade as it moves away from Earth. If you missed it, don’t worry. Another comet is expected to arrive before the end of the year, with several more expected in 2025. Here are some things to keep an eye on and some tips to optimize your comet viewing.
1. Comet 333P/Linear
Comet 333P/LINEAR, returning to our neighborhood for the first time since its discovery in 2007, will make its closest approach to the Sun on November 29, 2024, and to Earth on December 9, 2024. You will be able to see it early in the morning in early December. And late evening.
you May You can see it with powerful binoculars, but a telescope is best. 333P/LINEAR is displayed in both hemispheres.
2. Comet C/2024 G3
Researchers determined that C/2024 G3, discovered in April 2024, was a long-period comet originating in the Oort Cloud. We’ve come a long way to get here, and probably won’t pass us by again for at least another 200 years. So grab it if you can.
C/2024 G3 is expected to be the brightest comet in 2025. You can see it even during the day. The star will reach perihelion (the point on its path closest to the Sun) on or around January 13, 2025, and is best visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Even if you’re not down there, you can still catch a glimpse of it, as it will be brightest during that time of day when it will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere.
One caveat: C/2024 G3 is passing very close to the Sun, at which point it could break into pieces or even evaporate.
3. Comet 210P/Christensen
Comet 210P/Christensen will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere in November and December 2025. You can spot this comet with good binoculars. It is possible that it will be bright enough to be seen with the naked eye. On the other hand, it may not survive the trip past the sun.
Read more: When was Halley’s Comet last seen and will it return?
How to see a comet
There are a few tactics you can do to increase your chances of spotting your target comet. samantha rollerAstronomer at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan. It may seem obvious, but if you want to see a comet, you need to find a dark spot far away from city lights. And time your viewing to avoid bright moonlight.
Lawler also suggests looking for a good one online. finder chart. Although apps are available to help you pinpoint where you can see them in the sky, Lawler does not recommend using them in the field. In fact, you shouldn’t use your phone at all. The light from the device prevents your eyes from adjusting to the dark. To spot a comet and see it well, your eyes need time to adjust to the darkness.
Comet viewing equipment doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. A telescope is best, but binoculars often work too. In fact, sometimes binoculars are better.
“Binoculars are very useful when you’re first learning how to find comets, just because they’re so much easier,” says Lawler. However, experienced comet observers also use them. Lawler used binoculars to observe comet C/2023 A3 this fall.
So grab your gear, put your phone in your pocket and head somewhere dark. There is a visitor on the way.
Read more: 20 things you didn’t know about comets
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Our writers discovermagazine.com We use peer-reviewed research and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review them for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Please review the sources used in this article below.
Avery Hurt is a freelance science journalist. In addition to writing for Discover, she writes regularly for a variety of publications in print and online, including National Geographic, Science News Explores, Medscape, and WebMD. She is 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) and several books for young readers. Avery began his journalism career while attending college, writing for the school newspaper and editing a student nonfiction magazine. She writes about all areas of science, but is particularly interested in neuroscience, the science of consciousness, and the field of AI, which she developed while earning a degree in philosophy.
