E-Paper
Missed 3I/ATLAS? Five comets passing through solar system to keep an eye out for
While 3I/ATLAS is getting all the attention, there are a number of other comets visible through telescopes and binoculars in the sky. Here are five of them.
Prefer HTon Google
Astronomers and sky-gazers are thrilled with the passage of comet 3I/ATLAS through our solar system. The interstellar visitor is even older than our solar system and is only the third such object from outside it observed by us. With it passing close to Earth in recent times, there has been a lot of talk about it online.
However, 3I/ATLAS is not the only comet that is being closely followed by NASA and other agencies. There are several other comets monitored by bodies working in the astronomy sector. Many of them are easily visible through binoculars or basic telescopes. Here, we present a list of five such comets that you could look for in the night sky.
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
This comet is in the constellation of Hercules currently and, as per The Sky Live, over 110 million kilometers away from our planet. Live Science reported two days ago that an amateur astronomer in Italy captured a stunning image of Lemmon’s tail seemingly entwined with the trail of a meteor.
“In this photograph, the meteor's afterglow appears to coil around the comet's ion tail — a pure perspective miracle," Gianluca Masi, the astronomer in question, said, as quoted by Live Science. This comet requires binoculars to be clearly viewed, The Sky Live reports.
C/2025 R2 (SWAN)
This comet was discovered on September 11 this year, a day before it reached the closest point to the Sun in its journey, NASA’s website says.
The Sky Live reports its current distance from Earth to be over 51 million kilometers, as per The Sky Live. It is currently in the constellation of Aquarius. On October 20, this comet came closest to Earth. Currently, it is visible through binoculars.
Also read: Fact check: Is 3I/ATLAS an alien spacecraft or a comet? Scientists say…
C/2025 K1 (ATLAS)
Currently at a distance of over 129 million kilometers from Earth, C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) is visible in the Virgo constellation with binoculars or a small telescope, the Sky Live website says. It will be closest to our planet on November 25.
The BBC reports that the comet was first observed in May this year. It is a visitor from the Oort Cloud - a vast reservoir of icy bodies that make up a ghostly shell around the entire Solar System.
210P/Christensen
Located in the constellation of Scorpius, this comet is currently coasting at a distance of over 67 million kilometers from Earth, The Sky Live informs. Though it will reach the closest point to Earth in its journey in the distant future – 2037 – it should be visible presently with a telescope having an aperture of 8 inches or more.
C/2025 T1 (ATLAS)
Another comet named ATLAS, this one is currently traversing the constellation of Ursa Major. It is very distant from Earth currently – over 173 million kilometers. But due to its brightness, a telescope with an aperture of 8 inches or more should be sufficient for you to view it. It will be closest to Earth on November 14, The Sky Live says.
FAQs:
What is comet 3I/ATLAS?
It is a comet that originated outside our solar system and is passing near our planet.
What is a comet?
According to NASA’s website, comets are “cosmic snowballs of frozen gases, rock, and dust that orbit the Sun.”
What is the Oort Cloud?
It is “a vast reservoir of icy bodies that make up a ghostly shell around the entire Solar System,” per BBC.
