ByJamie Carter,
Senior Contributor.
Check my feed every day this month for a daily “comet tracker” with finder charts and tips for viewing Comet Lemmon and Comet SWAN from mid-northern latitudes. Also read How To Photograph The Green Comets, Best Stargazing Apps For Finding The Comets and 25 Dark Sky Parks In The U.S. To See The Comets.
The Northern Hemisphere’s night skies this October are building toward what could be a once-in-a-lifetime highlight — two bright comets visible as the annual Orionid meteor shower peaks. Overnight on Oct. 21-22, up to 20 meteors per hour may streak through the darkness, with conditions nearly perfect thanks to a moonless night sky. Adding to the excitement, Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) and Comet SWAN R2 (C/2025 R2) may also be visible in the post-sunset sky. Together, the meteors and the comets promise one of 2025’s most memorable skywatching experiences.
The Orionids are best seen after midnight and before dawn, when their radiant point is in the constellation Orion, “the hunter,” which climbs into the southeastern sky around midnight. From rural dark-sky locations, expect to see around 20 bright “shooting stars” each hour. The new moon, also on Oct. 21, will be a huge help. Ditto for the comets. Comet Lemmon will be positioned near the Big Dipper in the northern sky.
