![\"Comet](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760680508_539_960x0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Comet Neowise streaks across the night sky in the Tonto National Forest near Phoenix, Arizona.<\/p>\n
getty<\/p>\n
Check my feed<\/a> every day this month for a daily \u201ccomet tracker\u201d with finder charts and tips for viewing Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN from mid-northern latitudes. Also read How To Photograph The Green Comets<\/a> and Best Stargazing Apps For Finding The Comets<\/a>.<\/p>\n Have you seen the comets<\/a> yet? Comets Lemmon (C\/2025 A6)<\/a> and SWAN (C\/2025 R2) are now becoming visible in the post-sunset night sky and are due to reach maximum brightness around Oct. 20-21 \u2014 just as the annual Orionid meteor shower<\/a> peaks. As if the prospect of two comets and around 20 “shooting stars” weren’t enough to get you racing into rural areas at night, the Northern Lights<\/a> are also possible.<\/p>\n See Comets, A Meteor Shower And Northern Lights<\/p>\n October typically brings frequent and intense displays of aurora \u2014 and particularly this year. In the wake of the equinoxes in March and September, Earth\u2019s magnetic field tilts into a more favorable orientation, allowing solar particles to interact more effectively with the magnetosphere. That’s precisely what’s been happening in 2025, with display<\/a> after display<\/a> for northern U.S. states and Canada. On the cards now is geomagnetic activity from Oct. 16 through Oct. 21 \u2014 exactly when the comets and the Orionids peak.<\/p>\n Find A Dark Sky<\/p>\n Even if you can’t make Oct. 20-21, any time the week before or after is good for viewing the comets, which may reach naked-eye visibility from a dark sky destination. Find a Dark Sky Place<\/a>, check a light pollution map<\/a> for dark northern and western horizons, and pack a pair of binoculars (for the comets) and a blanket (for the meteor shower).<\/p>\n Are there any guarantees? Only one \u2014 if you stay in the city, you’ll almost certainly see nothing at all of the comets, the “shooting stars” or any aurora.<\/p>\n Here are 25 places in the U.S. for dark skies \u2014 from U.S. national parks and state parks to rural areas popular with stargazers and astronomers. It\u2019s not definitive nor exhaustive (and it probably doesn\u2019t include your favorite place to stargaze), but it will help anyone after a view of the night sky at its best.<\/p>\n 25 Dark Sky Destinations In The U.S. To See The CometsAcadia National Park, MaineBig Bend National Park (Dark Sky Park), TexasSouth Llano River State Park (Dark Sky Park), TexasCanyonlands National Park (Dark Sky Park), UtahGoblin Valley State Park (Dark Sky Park), UtahCherry Springs State Park (Dark Sky Park), PennsylvaniaChaco Culture National Historical Park (Dark Sky Park), New MexicoCraters of the Moon National Monument (Dark Sky Park), IdahoDeath Valley National Park (Dark Sky Park), CaliforniaWaterton-Glacier International Peace Park (Dark Sky Park), MontanaGrand Teton National Park and Teton Country (Dark Sky Community), WyomingGreat Basin National Park (Dark Sky Park), NevadaGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (Dark Sky Park), ColoradoHawai\u2018i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai\u2018iHeadlands Park (Dark Sky Park), MichiganHoosier National Forest, IndianaKissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park (Dark Sky Park), FloridaMark Twain National Forest, MissouriNewport State Park (Dark Sky Park), WisconsinNorth Cascades National Park, WashingtonPetrified Forest National Park (Dark Sky Park), ArizonaPrineville Reservoir State Park (Dark Sky Park), OregonShawnee National Forest, IllinoisStephen C. Foster State Park (Dark Sky Park), GeorgiaVoyageurs National Park (Dark Sky Park), MinnesotaHow To Photograph Comets With A Smartphone<\/p>\n