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5h ago

Comet Pan‑STARRS Brightens Before Dawn Ahead of April 19 Perihelion

This long‑period visitor returns only about every 170,000 years, with forecasts pointing to binocular‑level brightness that remains hard to predict.

Caption: Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) is continuing to brighten as it approaches perihelion, visible in the early-morning sky. This photo shows the comet not long ago, on March 29. Credit: Dimitrios Katevainis (Flickr, CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Overview

  • Predawn viewing is best through about April 20 for Northern Hemisphere observers, roughly 90 minutes before sunrise low in the east near the Great Square of Pegasus.
  • The comet reaches perihelion on April 19 at about half the Earth–Sun distance, and astronomers do not expect it to break apart because it is not a sungrazer.
  • Use 10x50 binoculars or short camera exposures to overcome dawn glare, with darker skies improving as the moon wanes toward the April 17 new moon.
  • The Comet Observation Database projects a peak near magnitude +2 to +3, though actual brightness can shift as dust and sunlight interact.
  • Its closest approach to Earth comes on April 27, yet it will likely be out of view for most Northern Hemisphere skywatchers by that date.