Will We See a Bright Naked-Eye Comet in 2025?
By Graham Jones and Renate Mauland-Hus. Published 14-Nov-2024
Our comet list for 2025 doesn’t contain anything as dramatic as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. But that could change.
Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was one of the brightest comets this century so far. In this photo from northern Norway, timeanddate.com’s Brendan Goodenough caught the comet in mid-October 2024 alongside the aurora borealis—better known as the northern lights.
©Brendan Goodenough/timeanddate.com
No Big Comets Expected in 2025—For Now
Following the striking appearance of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the evening sky last month, many people have been wondering when we will next be able to see a naked-eye comet.
The first rule of comets is that they are notoriously unpredictable—which means we don’t know anything for sure.
For example, the “sungrazer” comet C/2024 S1 caused sudden (and cautious) excitement when it was discovered at the end of September 2024; a month later, it disintegrated as it approached the Sun.
What are the rules for naming comets?
Notable Comets for 2025 (And Into 2026)
Below is a list of the most notable comets currently expected over the next 12 months or so. We’ve included the date of perihelion—when the comet is at its closest point to the Sun—and the predicted peak magnitude (brightness).
As things currently stand, only one comet is predicted to have a chance of reaching naked-eye levels of visibility.
Remember that the predictions for peak magnitude are estimates, and our list only includes comets we know about at the moment.
A Brief Guide to Magnitude
The brightness of an object in the sky is called its apparent magnitude. Astronomers use a scale that runs backward: the lower the number, the brighter the object—and numbers can go below zero.
Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, has an apparent magnitude of -1.46. For Polaris, also known as the (northern) Pole Star, the number is around 1.98.
The faintest magnitudes that can be seen with the naked eye are around 2 in well-lit city centers, 4 in the suburbs, and 6 in rural areas away from light pollution.
The typical limit when using binoculars is around 10—but, again, this depends on light conditions, as well as the eyesight of the observer.
Some light from celestial objects is lost as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere. This is due to scattering and absorption. The magnitudes shown on our Night Sky Map include an adjustment for atmospheric absorption.
C/2024 G3 (ATLAS)
G3 is a “sungrazing” comet that will pass extremely close to the Sun at perihelion. It might be visible to observers in December and January, although much remains uncertain.
- Perihelion: January 13, 2025
- Peak magnitude: -1.4
- Show C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) on our Night Sky Map
29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 1
Unusually for a comet, 29P orbits the Sun in a roughly circular path between Jupiter and Saturn (which means the date of perihelion is not particularly significant). It has unpredictable outbursts where its brightness suddenly increases.
210P/Christensen
Some comets take many thousands of years to complete one orbit of the Sun, but 210P has an orbital period of just 5.7 years.
- Perihelion: November 22, 2025
- Peak magnitude: 9.1
- Show 210P/Christensen on our Night Sky Map
24P/Schaumasse
A comet well known to astronomers: 24P has been observed on many of its visits to the inner solar system since its discovery in 1911.
- Perihelion: January 8, 2026
- Peak magnitude: 8.0
- Show 24P/Schaumasse on our Night Sky Map
C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)
E1 was discovered in 2024 by Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchoś—it is the fifth comet he has found.
- Perihelion: January 20, 2026
- Peak magnitude: 6.5
- Show C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) on our Night Sky Map
Source for peak magnitude estimates: BAA Comet Section
Other Comets in Our Night Sky Map
Did you know? Comet names are based on a set of rules suggested by the International Astronomical Union.
©timeanddate.com
timeanddate.com’s Night Sky Map shows the positions of comets even if they are not yet—or no longer—visible.
In addition to all the comets mentioned above, two more are included in our Explore menu.
C/1995 O1 (Hale–Bopp) was one of the greatest comets of the 20th century. Hale–Bopp shone spectacularly in 1997, but will not return to our skies for at least another two thousand years.
1P/Halley is the most famous comet of all: Halley’s Comet. At the moment, Halley is in the far depths of the solar system, beyond the orbit of Neptune; it last visited us in 1986, and will next become visible to the naked eye in 2061.
Fun fact: twice a year, Earth passes through the trail of debris left by Halley’s Comet, producing the Orionid and Eta Aquarid meteor showers.