Topline
After a year without any easily visible comets, two have arrived at once. On Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) will show in both the evening and morning skies in the constellation Ursa Major, while Comet SWAN (C/2025 R2) will be visible after sunset in Serpens. Binoculars are needed to see them both — with Comet Lemmon being significantly brighter —but over the next week, these comets are likely to brighten steadily as they reach their closest to Earth. Their best showing is expected around Oct. 20-21 during both a new moon and the peak of the Orionid meteor shower.
Key Facts
There are two comets currently observable in binoculars — the brightest, Comet Lemmon, before sunrise and after sunset in the northern sky and Comet SWAN after sunset in the southwestern sky. Because of its far-northern path, Comet Lemmon now appears on both sides of the northern sky between dusk and dawn.
The best time to view both comets in one session is 90 minutes after sunset. However, Comet Lemmon can also be seen 90 minutes before sunrise until around Oct. 16.
You’ll need a pair of binoculars to see either comet, with 8×42 or 10×50 binoculars, or similar, as the best option. Both comets will appear as small, diffuse patches in a pair of binoculars, changing position slightly each day. Those observing in dark sky places far from streetlights and urban light pollution will have the best views of both comets.
A good way to find the location of the comets in your sky is to use the finder charts at In-The-Sky.com or stargazing apps such as Sky Guide, Stellarium and SkySafari.
The Comet Observation Database reports Comet Lemmon to be shining at magnitude +5.7 and Comet SWAN a little dimmer at magnitude +6.
Lemmon and SWAN are the first comets visible in binoculars since Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in October 2024.
Comet Lemmon And Swan: Best Times To Look
The best time to spot Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN is during a 30-minute window starting about 90 minutes after sunset where you are. Both are visible after sunset but in opposite parts of the sky — Lemmon in the northwest, SWAN in the southwest. For New York City, where sunset is at 6:14 p.m. EDT, the ideal time for evening viewing is 7:44-8:14 p.m. EDT.
Comet Lemmon can also be seen before dawn. Look during a 30-minute window beginning about 90 minutes before sunrise. With sunrise at 7:06 a.m. EDT in New York, the best time will be 5:36-6:06 a.m. EDT — though earlier observations may also reveal the comet rising in the northeast.
Comet Lemmon: When And Where To Find It
Distance from the sun: 73.9 million miles (118.9 million kilometers)
Distance from Earth: 63.9 million miles (102.9 million kilometers)
After sunset, look for Comet Lemmon just below the curved handle of the Big Dipper. Its height above the horizon varies by location, but from New York it will appear about 7 degrees above the northwest horizon at 7:46 p.m. EDT — roughly the width of four fingers held at arm’s length — and will gradually sink as twilight deepens.
Before sunrise, the comet reappears in the northeast, to the right of the Big Dipper’s handle and level with the stars Alioth and Miazar. From New York, it will stand about 20 degrees high — approximately the span of your outstretched hand — at 5:36 a.m. EDT, as Venus rises in the east, and climb higher as dawn approaches.
Comet Swan: When And Where To Find It
Distance from the sun: 80.7 million miles (129.9 million kilometers)
Distance from Earth: 27.2 million miles (43.7 million kilometers)
Blueish-green Comet SWAN — only discovered in September — will be visible in binoculars on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, low in the southwest after sunset. The comet will be just to the upper-right of Sabik, a bright star in the constellation Ophiuchus, and directly above Antares in Scorpius. It will be in front of the Milky Way, so expect dense starfields to be visible behind the comet in binoculars. Its altitude varies by location, but from New York it will appear about 22 degrees high — roughly the distance between your little finger and forefinger held apart at arm’s length — and will gradually sink toward the horizon as the twilight fades.
Comets Vs Northern Lights Vs ‘shooting Stars?’
A “holy trinity” of celestial sights — two comets, aurora and meteors — may be visible together later this month. Not only are the Northern Lights particularly active during October (roughly twice as likely, thanks to a lagging “equinox effect”), but the Orionid meteor shower peaks on Oct. 21-22 just as both comets get closest to Earth. That should put comets Lemmon and SWAN at their brightest as about 20 meteors per hour become visible. As a bonus, Oct. 21 sees a new moon, so the night sky will be as dark as it gets. The Orionids are caused by debris from Halley’s Comet, the first comet ever to be confirmed.
Check my feed every day this month for a daily “comet tracker” with finder charts and tips for viewing Comet Lemmon from mid-northern latitudes.
