Two Comets to Grace Earth’s Skies This Fall
Skywatchers are in for a treat โthisโค fall as two comets – โ”Swan” (C/2025 R2) and “Lemmon” (C/2025 A6) – are expected to be visible โto teh naked eye.
“Swan” will approach earth to withinโ 30 million kilometers, โaccording to Richard Moissl of the Europeanโ Space Agency (ESA). it will be visible in the evening sky from mid-October, rising higher before fading in brightness and becoming invisible by the first third of November.”It willโ be in the southwest in the evenings โof october and in the south in early November,” says astronomer Pilz.
“Lemmon” โis a rarer sight, having last visited approximately 1,320โ years ago and not expected to return for another 1,410 years. Discovered earlier this year, it is โindeed โฃcurrently visible in the โmorning sky โand can be โคspotted with binoculars. It will also be visible โฃin the evening sky, movingโ quickly through constellations like Ursa Major. โคIts closest approach to Earth willโ be almost 90 million kilometers on October 21st. Pilz notes โฃthatโ due toโ its proximity โto both earth and โthe Sun, “it is a striking comet โand will be visible to the naked eye from a dark location,” with the period between โขOctober 28thโข and 31st offering the best viewing opportunities.
Comets are ancient celestial bodies,โ billions of โฃyears old and composed of ice, dust, and โrock. As they approach the sun, their nuclei evaporate, forming a cloud of dust andโ gas, โand ultimately, a tail that can stretch โฃfor millions of kilometers.
The potential danger posed byโข undetected celestial objects โฃwas highlighted by a 2013 event in Chelyabinsk, Russia, โwhere a 20-meter space rock exploded, injuring around 1,500 people. Space agencies areโฃ planning to deploy telescopes to improve the detection of such objects.
