Night sky watchers are in for a treat this week! Two comets may be visible in the sky on Tuesday night. Comet Lemmon and Comet Swan were only discovered this year, and both are visible in dark skies with just a pair of binoculars.
Comet Lemmon is the brightest comet of the year, making its closest approach to Earth on October 21st will be visible in the evening hours after sunset, low in the west-northwest horizon, glowing softly near the Big Dipper.
Comet Swan sits slightly higher, becoming visible in darker skies further east. Swan will be more difficult to see because of its proximity to the Milky Way.
Comet Swan was only discovered on September 11th of this year, and will make its closest approach to Earth tonight.
While the comets may be difficult to see near city light pollution and without binoculars, there are other reasons to check out the night sky.
The Orionid Meteor Shower peak begins tonight, with 10-20 meteors visible per hour. Look toward the constellation Orion, as shooting stars will tend to emanate from this direction.
The icing on the cake might be the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights). A weekend geomagnetic storm was visible for places in the northern United States and Europe where the skies were clear, and some remaining, faint northern lights could be out tonight.
Skies should be dark to maximize viewing potential, as a new moon won't add any extra light.
Video from October 2024:
