Topline<\/p>\n
The green comets<\/a> visible in the night sky are now at their minimum distance from Earth, so they should be at their brightest in the night sky. Comet Lemmon<\/a> (also called C\/2025 A6) and Comet SWAN (C\/2025 R2) are the first comets visible in binoculars since Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in October 2024. Both are visible after sunset from the Northern Hemisphere, but Tuesday, Oct. 21, is the last chance to also see Lemmon before sunrise. <\/p>\n Comet Neowise passes St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (Photo by Owen Humphreys\/PA Images via Getty Images)<\/p>\n PA Images via Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n Although both Lemmon and SWAN reached their brightest on Monday, Oct. 20, when they reached their closest to Earth at 55 and 24 million miles, respectively, they are likely to remain at their brightest on Tuesday, Oct. 21. <\/p>\n The comets are visible in the northwest (Lemmon) and southwest (SWAN) about 90 minutes after sunset. Lemmon is moving quickly across the sky west of the Big Dipper while SWAN is beneath the three bright stars that comprise the Summer Triangle.<\/p>\n Use the finder charts at In-The-Sky.com<\/a> or stargazing apps such as Sky Guide, Stellarium and SkySafari to easily find the location of the comets in the night sky. <\/p>\n Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN are most easily seen using binoculars and away from light pollution in a Dark Sky Place<\/a> (or somewhere that looks dark on a light pollution map<\/a>). They\u2019re shining at about magnitude +4.9 and +5.8, respectively. <\/p>\n If you\u2019re yet to see the comets, try this week because the brightness of comets can quickly change, either undergoing an outburst and brightening, or disintegrating and fading. By the weekend, strong moonlight will make the comets tougher to see. <\/p>\n The best time to see Comet Lemmon on Oct. 21 will be 90 minutes before sunrise. <\/p>\n StellariumWhen And Where To See The Comets<\/p>\n The best time to spot Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN on Tuesday, Oct. 21, is during a 30-minute window starting about 90 minutes after sunset where you are<\/a>. Both are visible after sunset but in opposite parts of the sky \u2014 Lemmon in the northwest, SWAN in the southwest. For New York City, where sunset is at 6:03 p.m. EDT, the ideal time for evening viewing is 7:33-8:03 p.m. EDT.<\/p>\n Comet Lemmon can also be seen before dawn \u2014 though not after Tuesday. With sunrise at 7:15 a.m. EDT in New York, the best time will be 6:00-6:15 a.m. EDT. <\/p>\n The best time to see Comet Lemmon on Oct. 21 will be 90 minutes after sunset. <\/p>\n StellariumHow To Find Comet Lemmon<\/p>\n Distance from the sun: 62.8 million miles (101.1 million kilometers)<\/p>\n Distance from Earth: 55.4 million miles (89.2 million kilometers)<\/p>\n Before sunrise, the comet will be in the northeast. The Big Dipper\u2019s handle \u2014 which will point down toward the horizon \u2014 can be used to find it. Trace the stars of the Big Dipper\u2019s handle in an arc, or banana-shape, to go in a curve down to the north-east horizon. From New York, the comet will stand about 6 degrees high at 6:00 a.m. EDT, and though it will climb higher as dawn approaches, after about 15 minutes, the sky will be bleached. Venus rises at about the same time.<\/p>\n After sunset on Tuesday, Oct. 21, look for Comet Lemmon above-right of bright star Arcturus, low on the northwest horizon. Its height above the horizon varies by location, but from New York, the comet will appear about 18 degrees above the northwest horizon at 7:33 p.m. EDT \u2014 roughly the width of four outstretched fingers held at arm\u2019s length \u2014 and will gradually sink as twilight deepens.<\/p>\n The best time to see Comet SWAN on Oct. 21 will be 90 minutes after sunset. <\/p>\n StellariumHow To Find Comet Swan<\/p>\n Distance from the sun: 93.3 million miles (150.2 million kilometers)<\/p>\n Distance from Earth: 24.5 million miles (39.5 million kilometers)<\/p>\n Bluish-green Comet SWAN will glow in binoculars low in the south-west after sunset, now in Aquila beneath the bright star Altair of the Summer Triangle. It lies in front of the Milky Way\u2019s dense star fields, which will be visible behind the comet in binoculars. The comet’s height above the horizon will vary depending on your location, but from New York at 7:33 p.m. EDT, it will be around 38 degrees up as it becomes visible. <\/p>\n How to find Comet Lemmon, 90 minutes after sunset, from Oct. 13-31, 2025. <\/p>\n Stellarium<\/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>, Best Stargazing Apps For Finding The Comets<\/a> and 25 Dark Sky Parks In The U.S. To See The Comets<\/a>. <\/p>\n Further ReadingForbesComet Tracker For Thursday: It\u2019s Finally Time To See Rare Twin CometsBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesA Once-In-A-Lifetime Green Comet May Soon Be Visible, Scientists SayBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesSee Rare Sight Of Two Comets As Meteor Shower Peaks \u2014 Here\u2019s WhenBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesComet Lemmon: Your Ultimate Viewing Guide To The \u2018Comet Of The Year\u2019By Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesTwo Naked Eye Comets, \u2018Harvest Moon\u2019 And Fireballs: October\u2019s Night SkyBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesOrionid Meteor Shower Begins Thursday \u2014 When To See It At Its Best With Two CometsBy Jamie Carter<\/a>ForbesI Just Saw And Photographed The Comet \u2014 Here\u2019s How You Can TooBy Jamie Carter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Topline The green comets visible in the night sky are now at their minimum distance from Earth, so…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[82410,82411,66336,82414,80301,82415,59,80304,82413,90,56,54,55,82636,82637],"class_list":{"0":"post-214386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-c-2025-a6-lemmon","9":"tag-c-2025-r2-swan","10":"tag-comet-lemmon","11":"tag-comet-of-the-year","12":"tag-comet-swan","13":"tag-comet-tonight","14":"tag-gb","15":"tag-green-comets","16":"tag-october-2025-comets","17":"tag-science","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom","21":"tag-where-is-the-comet","22":"tag-where-to-see-the-comet"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}