Comet Schedule: See the Next Bright Comet in October 2025
If you’ve always wanted to see a comet, don’t miss out! In 2025, at least three comets will become visible via binoculars. Our Sky Tonight app will help you easily find any comet in the sky in your specific location. Let’s see what the heavens have in store for us!
Contents
- Next comet visible from Earth
- Comet in late September – early October 2025: C/2025 K1 (ATLAS)
- Comet in late October – early November 2025: C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
- Comet in late November 2025: 210P/Christensen
- Comet in late November – December 2025: 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)
- Comet in November 2025 – February 2026: C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)
- Comet in mid-January 2026: 24P/Schaumasse
- Comet in early July – late August 2026: 10P/Tempel 2
- How to find a comet using Sky Tonight?
- Next comet visible from Earth: Bottom line
Next comet visible from Earth
The next comet you can see is C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) — likely the brightest visitor of late 2025 and easily seen through binoculars. After that, any comets appearing before the year ends will need at least 10×50 binoculars (unless they brighten more than current forecasts predict).
These comets are listed by when they’re actually visible from Earth, not by their perihelion or closest‐approach dates (some aren’t observable at those moments), so refer to each comet’s visibility window highlighted in the title.
Comet in late September – early October 2025: C/2025 K1 (ATLAS)
- Perihelion: October 8, 2025 (mag 5.2)
- Closest approach to Earth: November 24, 2025 (mag 9.7)
- Where to observe: Both hemispheres
Will C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) be visible from Earth?
C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) will pass near Earth twice: first on August 13 (0.58 AU away), and closer again on November 24 (0.40 AU). In August, it will be faint (around magnitude 13), visible only from the Southern Hemisphere through large telescopes.
Near perihelion in early October, the comet could brighten significantly, reaching magnitude 5.2 — potentially visible through binoculars. At that time, observers in northern latitudes will see it best in the morning, while southern observers can spot it in both the evening and morning skies. However, due to its close solar approach, the comet’s survival is uncertain.
When was C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) discovered?
C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) was discovered on May 25, 2025, in Chile. It appears to be a dynamically new comet, meaning this is its first close passage to the Sun. With a nucleus smaller than 1 km and passing closer to the Sun (0.33 AU) than Mercury does, it may not survive perihelion. Its current absolute magnitude is approximately 15 times below the Bortle survival limit.
Comet in late October – early November 2025: C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
- Perihelion: November 8, 2025 (mag 8)
- Closest approach to Earth: October 21, 2025 (mag 8)
- Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
Will C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) be visible from Earth?
At the end of October 2025, Comet Lemmon will pass as close as 0.6 AU to Earth, conveniently positioned in the evening sky for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. In October and November, the comet might reach a magnitude of about 8 and become visible through binoculars. There is also a chance that C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) will become even brighter (about magnitude 3), as such comets tend to brighten significantly near perihelion. Let's keep our fingers crossed!
When was C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) discovered?
C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is a dynamically old comet, meaning it has passed close to the Sun multiple times. It was discovered on January 3, 2025, by astronomers at Arizona's Mount Lemmon Observatory, USA. Initially, the object was designated CCNG6P2; 1.5 months later, it was confirmed to be a comet and named C/2025 A6 (Lemmon).
Comet in late November 2025: 210P/Christensen
- Perihelion: November 22, 2025 (mag 8.3)
- Closest approach to Earth: November 8, 2025 (mag 8.1)
- Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere
Will 210P/Christensen be visible from Earth?
At the end of November 2025, Comet 210P/Christensen may be bright enough to be seen with binoculars. It will sit low in the pre-dawn eastern sky — look near the horizon as soon as the sky is fully dark. Before then, the comet remains too faint and too close to the Sun’s glare to spot.
When was 210P/Christensen discovered?
210P/Christensen is a Jupiter family periodic comet discovered by American astronomer Eric Christensen on May 26, 2003, in images taken by the Catalina Sky Survey. The comet has an orbital period of 5.7 years. Its nucleus is about 1.7 km (1.06 miles) in diameter.
Comet in late November – December 2025: 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)
- Perihelion: October 29, 2025 (mag 12)
- Closest approach to Earth: December 19, 2025 (mag ?)
- Where to observe: Both hemispheres
Will 3I/ATLAS be visible from Earth?
3I/ATLAS, also designated as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), is a rare interstellar visitor that will become observable from late November 2025. Under the most optimistic scenarios, it could brighten to about magnitude 8, making it visible in small telescopes or even binoculars at dawn from both hemispheres. More conservative (and realistic) estimates put its peak around mag 12, requiring a 20 cm (8-in) telescope under dark skies. Around perihelion, the comet won’t be visible — Earth and the comet will lie on opposite sides of the Sun.
When was 3I/ATLAS discovered?
Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey at Río Hurtado, Chile, this is the third confirmed interstellar object — after 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). Its nucleus is enveloped in a reflective dust coma, so its true size is uncertain; estimates range up to 24 km across, far larger than ʻOumuamua (100-1,000 m) or Borisov (~975 m).
Comet in November 2025 – February 2026: C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)
- Perihelion: January 20, 2026 (mag 5.2)
- Closest approach to Earth: Feb 17, 2026 (mag 6.2)
- Where to observe: Northern Hemisphere (before perihelion), Southern Hemisphere (after perihelion)
Will C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) be visible from Earth?
In the autumn of 2025, the comet may become visible through small telescopes or binoculars for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. Then, as the comet moves toward perihelion, it will be positioned too close to the Sun to be observable. After perihelion, it will be best observable from the Southern Hemisphere and might be visible with binoculars.
When was C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) discovered?
Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchos was discovered by Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchos on March 3, 2024, in images taken by the Mount Lemmon Survey. The comet’s orbital period is yet to be determined.
Comet in mid-January 2026: 24P/Schaumasse
- Perihelion: January 8, 2026 (mag 9.9)
- Closest approach to Earth: January 4, 2026 (mag 9.9)
- Where to observe: Both hemispheres
Will 24P/Schaumasse be visible from Earth?
Comet Schaumasse will reach its brightest in early 2026 and might become visible with binoculars. Before that, from November 8 to 11, 2025, the comet will be passing close to the famous Beehive Cluster (M44) in the sky, providing a good photo opportunity.
When was 24P/Schaumasse discovered?
Comet 24/P Schaumasse is a periodic comet discovered by French astronomer Alexandre Schaumasse on 1 December 1911 in Nice, France. It has an orbital period of 8.18 years. The comet nucleus is estimated to be 2.6 km (1.6 miles) in diameter.
Comet in early July – late August 2026: 10P/Tempel 2
- Perihelion: August 2, 2026 (mag 8.0)
- Closest approach to Earth: August 3, 2026 (mag 8.0)
- Where to observe: Both hemispheres
Will 10P/Tempel 2 be visible from Earth?
From July 2026 onward, 10P/Tempel 2 will emerge in the evening sky after sunset. The comet will be visible in both hemispheres; in the Southern Hemisphere, it will rise much higher above the horizon than in the Northern Hemisphere. Around perihelion, the comet should brighten to about mag 8.0 — easily seen with binoculars or a small telescope.
When was 10P/Tempel 2 discovered?
Discovered on July 4, 1873, by Wilhelm Tempel, 10P/Tempel 2 is a Jupiter-family periodic comet. It orbits the Sun every 1,960 days (≈5.37 years), traveling between 1.42 AU at perihelion and 4.71 AU at aphelion.
How to find a comet using Sky Tonight?
Comets are faint and fuzzy objects that are hard to detect, so it’s best to know their location for certain. The Sky Tonight app will help you quickly find any bright comet in the sky. Here’s what you need to do:
- Tap the magnifier icon at the lower part of the screen;
- In the Search field, enter the comet’s name or designation;
- Find the comet in the search results and tap the blue target icon next to its name;
- The app will show the comet’s current location in the sky;
- Point your device at the sky and follow the white arrow to find the comet.
You can also tap the comet’s name in the search results and then go to the Events tab to view the events related to the comet: perihelion and closest approach to Earth. Tap the blue target icon next to the event to see the comet’s location at the time of perihelion or closest approach.
Next comet visible from Earth: Bottom line
The next comet to reach perihelion is C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), which should become easy to spot with binoculars from both hemispheres in early October. We'll keep you updated on all the news about upcoming comets.
While working on this article, we used data provided by the Comet Observation database, TheSkyLive website, as well as by astronomers Gideon van Buitenen and Seiichi Yoshida.
