How to watch the brightest comet of 2025 today — it won’t be visible for another 160,000 years
Keep your eye on the sky tonight.
A once-in-a-lifetime comet is approaching the sun — and it will be visible for the first time in 160,000 years.
Monday, Jan. 13 is when the comet will theoretically be at its brightest. Yang Changshi/VCG via Getty Images
The comet will also be at its closest point to the Earth and might become the brightest comet of the year during a year when no other comets are set to be visible to the naked eye.
A once-in-a-lifetime comet will be visible for the first time in 160,000 years. Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images
Comet Atlas C/2024 G3, discovered by the Atlas Survey System, has been slowly approaching the inner solar system and will reach perihelion, its closest point to the sun, on Jan. 13.
“However, as with all comets, its visibility and brightness can be unpredictable,” Dr. Shyam Balaji, a researcher in astroparticle physics and cosmology at King’s College London, said, according to the Daily Mail.
“Observers may have opportunities to spot it in the days around perihelion, depending on local conditions and the comet’s behavior.”
During perihelion, the comet will come within 8.3 million miles of the sun, which might sound like a far distance, but it’s actually pretty close, with astronomers calling it a “sun-skirter.”
Comet Atlas C/2024 G3, like all comets, is a frozen chunk left over from the formation of the solar system — composed of dust, rock and ice — that heat up and start to melt as it approaches the sun.
The material it spews forms a tail that stretches millions of miles, which can sometimes be spotted in the night sky.
When to see Comet Atlas
During perihelion, the comet will come within 8.3 million miles of the sun. Provided by NASA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
According to Space.com, there currently appears to be a three-day window for those in the Northern Hemisphere to see the comet: Jan. 12 through 14.
On the evening of the 14th, the comet will set 35 minutes after the sun and will be positioned about 7 degrees almost directly above the sun at the time of local sunset.
About 10 minutes after sunset is when viewers should slowly start to scan the west-southwest horizon with binoculars to get a glimpse of the comet.
But Monday, Jan. 13 is when the comet will theoretically be at its brightest — and it might even be bright enough to see during the daytime.
However, Space.com emphasized that a daytime sighting could be dangerous.
“Viewing the comet itself poses no harm, but staring at the sun — even briefly — can cause severe retinal damage without any pain. This damage can lead to permanent blindness,” they warn.
“And with the comet passing so close to the sun, do not try for a daytime sighting by scanning for it with binoculars!”
Where to see Comet Atlas
About 10 minutes after sunset is when viewers should scan the west-southwest horizon with binoculars to get a glimpse of the comet. AFP via Getty Images
Some sky watchers in the Northern Hemisphere have already spotted the comet low on the eastern horizon just before sunrise.
However, it can be difficult to see without binoculars or a telescope.
As the comet reaches perihelion, people with an unobstructed view of the western horizon might be able to catch it in the evening as the sun sets.
Interactive star maps can help viewers figure out exactly when and where to look based on their specific location.
The comet can also be viewed through your computer screen, courtesy of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
Some comets ultimately disintegrate from the heat, but if Comet Atlas survives perihelion, it will move to skies in the Southern Hemisphere and will be visible after sunset in the evenings.
