This year, the night sky is putting on a show with the Orionid meteor shower, a new moon and two green comets filling the night sky. <\/p>\n
Each October, Earth drifts through the dusty trail left behind by Halley\u2019s comet, creating the annual Orionid meteor shower. <\/p>\n
When and where to watch<\/p>\n
This year, peak viewing times are expected early in the mornings of Oct. 21-23, between 1 a.m. and dawn, according to the American Meteor Society<\/a>. Even outside of these hours, meteors will still be visible in the night sky. <\/p>\n The best conditions to see the most meteors is under dark, rural skies, where viewers could see up to 20 meteors per hour. Thanks to the new moon on Oct. 21, this year offers some of the best Orionid viewing conditions possible, unless, of course, clouds or city lights interfere, the American Meteor Society notes. <\/p>\n Keep an eye on the night sky in October\u2014you might catch a falling star!<\/p>\n The Orionid meteor shower reaches its peak on the night of Oct. 21-22, and the Draconids will also be visible earlier in the month. Check out what else to watch out for: pic.twitter.com\/JlRSzHUlbA<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NASA (@NASA) September 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Plus, 2 comets at once? <\/p>\n If the Orionids weren\u2019t enough, two comets \u2014 known as C\/2025 A6, (Lemmon) and C\/2025 R2 (SWAN) \u2014 will reach their closest approach to Earth.<\/p>\n Astronomer Gianluca Masi will host a special livestream on Oct. 20 beginning at 11:30 a.m. MDT to watch as both comets pass Earth. <\/p>\n \u201cSo far, living in the Northern hemisphere, I could admire C\/2025 A6 Lemmon only,but C\/2025 R2 SWAN is quickly joining the show,\u201d Masi told Space.com<\/a>. \u201cWe are ready to amaze every astronomy lover with our live feed!\u201d <\/p>\n idk what you’re doing on October 21, but if it doesn’t involve driving out to the darkest, most remote location you can think of and stargazing all throughout the night, you’re doing life incorrectly<\/p>\n the Orionids meteor shower AND a visible comet<\/p>\n how could you miss this?? pic.twitter.com\/tBQIYvJuOs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 spor (@sporadicalia) October 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n How rare is this? <\/p>\n Seeing two visible comets at once is what Space.com calls a \u201crare cosmic treat.\u201d <\/p>\n Comet Lemmon will come within 56 million miles of Earth and Comet Swan will pass even closer, at about 24 million miles away. <\/p>\n Both comets will reach peak brightness between Oct. 20-21 and should remain visible through early November, gradually fading as they move away from Earth\u2019s surface. <\/p>\n Comet Lemmon \u2014 discovered in January \u2014 will be easiest to spot in the western sky after sunset using binoculars or a small telescope. <\/p>\n SWAN, discovered in September, is best viewed just before dawn. <\/p>\n Isn\u2019t there another Comet Lemmon? Yes, in fact there are about 70 of them, named for the observatory that detected them, Carson Fuls, director of the Catalina Sky Survey, told National Geographic<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cComets are very common,\u201d Rhonda Stroud, the director of the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, told National Geographic<\/a>, \u201cbut Comet Lemmon is definitely the best comet to view from Earth this year.\u201d <\/p>\n Why the green glow? <\/p>\n The green glow comes from diatomic carbon (C2), a molecule that, when broken down by solar radiation, emits a green light, National Geographic details. <\/p>\n Typical comets are made up of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and water ice, but the ratio of each element gives comets their unique hue. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery comet that we have imaged up close with a spacecraft looks different from the others,\u201d says Stroud.<\/p>\n\n
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