Head away from city lights in the predawn hours of April 17 for your best chance to see the naked eye comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) shining low on the eastern horizon, before it disappears from the Northern Hemisphere night sky for good!

C/2025 R3 was discovered in September 2025 by the Pan-STARRS telescopes positioned near the summit of the dormant Haleakala volcano on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The comet has brightened significantly over the course of its dive towards the inner solar system, drawing the excitement of many in the comet-chasing community, who began to question whether it could be the great naked eye comet of 2026.

The icy wanderer has already reached an estimated magnitude of +4.7 based on observations logged in the Comet Observation Database, which makes it bright enough to be seen as a small blur of light to the unaided eye from a dark sky location. Magnitude is the value used by astronomers to measure the brightness of objects in the night sky, the lower the number, the brighter the object! The human eye has the ability to see objects as dim as magnitude +6.5 under ideal dark sky conditions.

Use a pair of 10X50 binoculars to spot C/2025 R3's glowing nucleus, or long-exposure photography to capture striking details in Comet PanSTARRS' tail as it's buffeted by the solar wind.

Comet PanSTARRS is expected to brighten further in the run-up to its perihelion passage on the night of April 19, when it makes its closest approach to the sun.

Unfortunately, each passing moment will also see it draw closer to the overwhelming glare of our parent star.

Where and when to look

The early morning hours of April 17 should give you the shot at spotting Comet PanSTARRS before it slips from our sight for good. Try to find a spot with a clear view of the eastern horizon and be in position 90 minutes before sunrise.

First, locate the four bright stars of the "Great Square of Pegasus" rising low in the eastern sky. Comet PanSTARRS is visible in the patch of sky five degrees above the lowest of the four stars, Algenib — roughly the width of your three middle fingers held at arm's length against the sky.

Following its perihelion passage, Comet PanSTARRS will transition from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere night sky, tracing a path through the constellations of Pisces, Cetus, Eridanus and Orion as it travels away from the sun, never to be seen again in our lifetimes.

Editor's Note: If you capture a photo of comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) and want to share it with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Astrophotographer Josh Dury captured a magnificent view of comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) glowing in the predawn sky among the stars of the constellation Pegasus on April 12.

PanSTARRS' bright, central nucleus was photographed rising low over the Mendip Hills nature reserve in Somerset, England, as light pollution created a false dawn in the long-exposure image.

The comet's sweeping tail extends over approximately 10 degrees of sky — roughly the equivalent of your clenched fist held at arm's length — created as reflective material from the nucleus is pushed outward and shaped by charged particles flowing outward from the sun, known as the solar wind.

It was, in some ways, a meeting of the ancients. Dury chose the Mendip Hills as the location of his shoot because of its links to the distant past. The region was home to the remains of "Cheddar Man", a roughly 10,000-year-old skeleton discovered in 1902 and later became the oldest British individual to have his genome sequenced, according to the University College London.

Comet PanSTARRS meanwhile, has a history that stretches back billions of years to the formation of the solar system. "The story and age of this comet is harrowing," Dury told Space.com. With an estimated inbound orbital period of around 170,000 years, the comet likely originates from the distant Oort Cloud — a shell of icy objects that surrounds our parent star at a distance ranging between 10,000-100,000 times the Earth-sun divide, according to NASA.

"Its passage from the Oort Cloud makes some of the earliest primitive finds of Britain minuscule through the ravages of time," continued Dury. The comet is currently bright enough to be seen with the naked eye as a hazy patch of light from a dark sky location, ahead of its close brush with the sun during perihelion on April 19-20. A pair of 10X50 binoculars will help to reveal its glowing nucleus and perhaps a hint of its tail.

Dury was able to reveal the beauty of its tail by capturing 33 separate long-exposure images with his Sony A7S III camera and Sigma 135mm F/1.4 lens, before combining and editing them using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.

Want to take gorgeous images of solar system comets for yourself? Then be sure to check out our roundups of the best cameras and lenses for astrophotography, along with our expert guide to photographing wandering comets.

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com's readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.

Editor's note: The Virtual Telescope Project's planned live broadcast of Comet Pan-STARRS has been rescheduled for Saturday (March 16) because of cloudy conditions. The observatory's free webcast will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT).

An online observatory will broadcast live views of the Comet Pan-STARRS from Italy today (March 15), but only if weather allows.

The Virtual Telescope Project in Ceccano, Italy, will webcast views of Comet Pan-STARRS beginning at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT). The comet is currently visible just after sunset to stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere, and can be seen low on the western horizon.

"We are so excited," astrophysicist Gianluca Masi, who runs the Virtual Telescope Project, told SPACE.com in an email. "A lot of people are waiting for this event!"

You can watch the Comet Pan-STARRS webcast on SPACE.com here.

The source webcast will also be available at the Virtual Telescope Project website.

Comet Pan-STARRS has been visible in the Northern Hemisphere evening sky since last week, though stargazers in the Southern Hemisphere were tracking the comet for months before it moved into the northern sky. The comet made its closest approach to the sun on Sunday (March 10), and was at its brightest at that time.  [How to see Comet Pan-STARRS]

But the position and timing of Comet Pan-STARRS in the evening sky has made it a challenge for some stargazers to see. The best time to see the comet is shortly after sunset, when bright evening twilight can interfere with the comet's glow. A clear viewing area with no obstructions, such as buildings or trees, is vital.

Veteran astrophotographers Imelda Joson and Edwin Aguirre snapped photos of Comet Pan-STARRS from Horn Pond in Woburn, Mass., on Wednesday (March 13).

"Initially, the comet was difficult to spot with the naked eye or binoculars in bright twilight, but as the sky got darker, it became quite obvious," Joson and Aguirre told SPACE.com. The duo also occasionally writes space photography columns for SPACE.com.

"However, one has to know exactly where to look to find the comet. Some casual observers might be impressed by the comet's appearance, but others might get disappointed," Joson added. "It really depends on one's level of expectation, observing skills and the amount of light pollution at his or her observing site."

On Tuesday (March 12), Comet Pan-STARRS was visible near the moon, amazing stargazers around the world who had clear views and good weather. The comet is slowing moving higher in the night sky, but it will also get dimmer, NASA scientists have said.

NASA's Stereo-B sun observatory also captured a video of Comet Pan-STARRS with the Earth and planet Mercury this month.

"The comet should remain visible to the naked eye through the end of March," NASA officials said Thursday in a video update.

Comet Pan-STARRS is officially known as C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) and was discovered by a team of astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) in Hawaii. The comet likely took millions of years to make its way into the inner solar system from the distant Oort Cloud at the edge of the solar system, but after this first swing around the sun it should settle into an 110,000-year orbit, scientists have said.

Pan-STARRS is one of several comets to grace the night sky in 2013. Earlier this year, Pan-STARRS and the Comet Lemmon were visible at the same time from the Southern Hemisphere.

In late November, the incoming sungrazer Comet ISON will make its closest approach to the sun. Comet ISON was discovered by amateur astronomers in Russia in September 2012 and could be a potentially dazzling "comet of the century" in November, but it could also fizzle out — it's too early to tell, NASA scientists have said.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of Comet Pan-STARRS in the night sky, or any other celestial object, and you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please send images and comments, including location information, to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

A comet sailing through the inner solar system make its closest approach to the sun and will be at its brightest at sunset tonight, but the glare of twilight may make it tricky to see, NASA says.

The Comet Pan-STARRS will be 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from the surface of the sun when it swings around the star today, and should be bright enough to see without the aid of telescopes or binoculars, weather permitting. But the comet is also appearing low on the western horizon at sunset so some planning is needed to spot the celestial wanderer with the naked eye tonight.

"Look too early and the sky will be too bright," said Rachel Stevenson, a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Look too late, the comet will be too low and obstructed by the horizon. This comet has a relatively small window."

A good time to look is about 40 minutes after sunset. The comet may appear as a sort of exclamation point in the evening sky, with the point being the comet itself and its diffuse tail stretching nearly straight up from the horizon, JPL officials added. [How to see the comet]

Comet Pan-STARRS, officially known as comet C/2011 L4 Pan-STARRS, was discovered in June 2011 by astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (or PAN-STARRS), a telescope atop the Haleakala volcano in Hawaii. The comet takes more than 100 million years to orbit the sun and appears to come from the Oort cloud, a vast halo of comets and icy objects at the outer edge of the solar system.

While the comet is making its closest pass by the sun tonight, the best views of the object are still to come. NASA scientists said the comet's proximity to the sun may make it too difficult to spot tonight, but that will change over the next few days.

"As it continues its nightly trek across the sky, the comet may get lost in the sun's glare but should return and be visible to the naked eye by March 12," JPL officials explained. "As time marches on in the month of March, the comet will begin to fade away slowly, becoming difficult to view (even with binoculars or small telescopes) by month's end."

And there is another reason to look for comet Pan-STARRS later this week. On Tuesday (March 12), the moon rises into the cosmic display.

"The comet will be joined in the western sky after dark by the slender crescent moon on March 12, 13, and 14," the editors of StarDate Magazine, a stargazing publication of the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas. "Good naked-eye views of the comet should continue for several nights, with the comet remaining visible through binoculars into April."

Comet Pan-STARRS is one of three comets capturing the attention of stargazers this year. The Comet Lemmon C/2012 F6 is currently visible to observers in the Southern Hemisphere and at times was in the night sky at the same time, allowing stargazers to capture rare photos of two comets in the sky together.

Meanwhile, the Comet ISON is making its way into the inner solar system and could put on a spectacular cosmic display later this year. Officially designated C/2012 S1 (ISON), Comet ISON was discovered in September 2012 by Russian amateur astronomers Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok using a remotely operated International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) telescope.

Some astronomers have billed Comet ISON as a potential "comet of the century" since it could be brighter than the full moon in daylight when it makes its closest approach to the sun on Nov. 28. At that time, Comet ISON will be much closer to the sun than Comet Pan-STARRS is now. ISON will approach within 800,000 miles (1.2 million km) of the star, making it a true sungrazing comet.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of Comet Pan-STARRS, or any other celestial object, and you'd like to share it for a possible story or image gallery, please send images and comments, including location information, to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.

The first of two bright comets predicted for 2013 will soon be appearing in the evening sky for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. The comet — while not as bright as first predicted — will still be more brilliant than any comet seen in recent years, so here are some tips to spot the celestial wanderer.

The Comet Pan-STARRS, known officially as C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) will be readily visible with the unaided eye, though binoculars will be a help for spotting it against the twilight sky. Weather permitting, the comet could be as bright as a first-magnitude star on the brightness scale of night sky objects (the lower the number, the brighter the object).

After months appearing in the Southern Hemisphere night sky, Comet Pan-STARRS will make its first appearance in the Northern Hemisphere sky on Thursday (March 7).

How to see Comet Pan-STARRS

To see the comet, look for it in the west, just to the left of the point on your horizon where the sun sets, shortly after sunset beginning in the next few days. [How to see the comet]

If this advice sounds a little vague, it is because comets are slightly unpredictable, in particular their brightness. Also, observing locations vary widely in their suitability to observe objects close to the sun.

Try to find a site with a very low western horizon to improve your chances of catching sight of the comet early. The farther south you live on Earth, the more likely you are to see it early. Any haze in the air will make it harder to see the comet.

Comet Pan-STARRS made its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday (March 5), when it passed by at a range of about 102 million miles (164 million kilometers). The only large objects closer to Earth on that date were the moon (at a range of 228,442 miles, or 367,642 km), the planet Mercury (58 million miles, or 93 million km) and the sun (92 million miles or 148 million km).

Comet at its best next week

Comet Pan-STARRS will be at its brightest on Sunday (March 10) when it makes its closest approach to the sun. At that time the comet will be about 28 million miles (45 million km) from the sun — a bit closer to the star than Mercury, which will be about 37 million miles (60 million km) from the sun. [Comet Pan-STARRS in Night Sky Explained (Infographic)]

The comet will still be low in the western sky on Sunday, and may be lost in the sun's glare. It will fade in brightness over the next few days, but at the same time will be higher in the sky at sunset. SPACE.com will provide up-to-date information on sighting opportunities for the comet.

Two comet-watching dates to prepare for now will be next Tuesday and Wednesday (March 12 and 13). On those evenings, the thin crescent moon will be close to the comet in the sky.

Depending on the size and direction of the comet's tail, the moon may actually be silhouetted against the tail on March 13.

On April 3, Comet Pan-STARRS will pass within a few degrees of the Andromeda Galaxy, making for a great photo opportunity for stargazers with telescopes. The comet and the galaxy will both shine at about 5th-magnitude on that date.

Comet's name explained

We are used to comets being named for their discoverers, but in recent years there have been many comets discovered by teams rather than individuals. When first discovered, comets are assigned unique designations based on the year and month of their discovery.

For Comet Pan-STARRS, that designation is C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS).

The year marker is easy to figure out, but the month is a bit complicated, because astronomers use a letter based on the half-month of the discovery. For example: the letter 'A' denotes the first half of January, 'B' is for the second half of January, 'C' for the first half of February, and so on.

There is also a name in parentheses indicating the discoverer. In this case, the comet was discovered by a team project named PANSTARRS, short for Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, which actively searches for asteroids and comets using a telescope in Hawaii.

The problem with this name is that the PANSTARRS project has so far discovered a number of comets, which makes this only one of quite a few "Comets PANSTARRS" in the sky.

Whatever we call it, this comet should be a pretty sight in the early evening in March and it is not the only comet to grace the night sky this year.

Another southern night sky comet, Comet Lemmon, has wowed some stargazers who have managed to observe it from the Southern Hemisphere and in November, the promising Comet ISON could put on a dazzling display when it passes closest to the sun.

Editor's note: If you snap an amazing photo of Comet Pan-STARRS in the night sky, or any other celestial object, and you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please send images and comments, including location information, to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

This story was update at 8 a.m. ET March 7 to correct the official designation of Comet Pan-STARRS, which is C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS).

This article was provided to SPACE.com by Starry Night Education, the leader in space science curriculum solutions. Follow Starry Night on Twitter @StarryNightEdu. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Original article on SPACE.com.