The prediction of comets is a difficult matter.
The experts at in-the-sky.org note that comets are “highly unpredictable objects”. Take as an example Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS). In November 2024, the experts at timeanddate.com predicted no big comets for this year. Instead, January has had skywatchers the world over looking up for the comet called “one of the brightest comets in 20 years.”
Sometimes astronomers spot comets at short notice, other times, comets become unexpectedly bright, and all too often they can disintegrate as they approach the Sun. A comet’s visibility also depends on how close they pass Earth, and their brightness, which in turn depends on how their dust particles scatter sunlight.
We think this variability and unpredictability is a big part of why comets are so fascinating to spot. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up a list of comets that astronomers and experts think could be “interesting” in 2025.
We’re making no predictions or promises, but it’s still worth trying to observe the comets with binoculars or a telescope, as they can offer interesting views. Binoculars make it easier to scan the horizon for comets and their tails, so if you don’t have a pair yourself, try borrowing some. After all, your friends or neighbours may also enjoy hunting comets.
Image credit: Stellarium.com
Astronomers first spotted comet C/20204 G3 (ATLAS) in April 2024, using NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.
This comet has surprised some astronomers. Experts last year were hedging their bets, saying it only might become visible, but as it reached its closest point to the sun on January 13 it reached magnitude of -3.4, making if officially brighter than Jupiter, which only reaches a maximum magnitude of -2.8 (keep in mind that negative magnitudes are brighter than objects with a positive magnitude.)
While Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) has already reached perihelion (its closest point to the Sun), Aussie astronomer Terry Lovejoy (discoverer of six comets) said he expected the “best views of the comet from January 22 until the end of the month,” where it will be just above the west-southwest horizon.
We said comets are unpredictable, and recent reports suggest comet C/20204 G3 (ATLAS) has fragmented after its close approach to the Sun, with only its tail still visible. You might not see it with the naked eye, but it’s worth checking out with binoculars or a telescope.
Image credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/Ames Research Center/University of Arizona
Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann is around 60 kilometres wide and what’s called a ‘cryovolcanic’ comet. It’s a big hunk of ice, dust, and rock, that erupts its icy innards into space like a volcano erupts magma and lava.
29P is famously volatile and known for its unpredictable outbursts, with the British Astronomical Association (BAA) recording over 100 strong outbursts since 2014.
In November 2024, the comet had four major eruptions in less than 48 hours, spraying out enough frosty material to make it appear almost 300 times brighter than normal.
Call this one a comet to keep your eye on, you’ll find 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann in the constellation of Leo, get more info on 29P from in-the-sky.com here.
Comet 65P/Gunn is a ‘short-period comet’, taking less than seven years to orbit the Sun once within the Kuiper Belt, the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Although the comet was first discovered in 1970, by professor James Gunn of Princeton University, in 1980 researchers found something surprising. Photographic plates at Palomar Observatory showed a previous appearance of 65P/Gunn way back in 1954.
The comet is faint, but reaching its closest point to the Sun on 21 June 2025. According to In-the-Sky, 65P/Gunn will reach its highest point in the sky at 01:05, 88° above the northern horizon, before being lost to the dawn around 06:11 in the west.
The ‘devil comet’ 12P/Pons–Brooks is one of the brightest periodic comets we know.
At its closest point to the Sun last year, the comet brightened to an absolute visual magnitude of around 4.5, making it visible to the naked eye under dark skies.
Because the comet reached its closest point to Earth last year, its brightness will have significantly decreased. However, like 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, 12P/Pons–Brooks is unpredictable and prone to sudden outbursts.
In July 2023, the comet became 100 times brighter, and its had several more outbursts since then. Watch out for the devil comet as you never know what it might do next.
Your best viewing of the Devil Comet is with a telescope under dark skies of the new Moon on April 28. The comet reaches its highest point in the sky around 02:38AM above the southern horizon in the constellation Ara.
Although it is technically visible in the night sky, comet 323P/SOHO is difficult to see. We’re including the comet because its orbit takes it closer to the Sun than any other comet we know, and that makes it fascinating.
Some comets are called ‘sungrazers’ after how close they get: 323P/SOHO gets close enough to be called a near-Sun object.
In 2022, a group of astronomers published a paper titled ‘The Lingering Death of Periodic Near-Sun Comet 323P/SOHO.’ Because comet 323P/SOHO is so close to the Sun, its trajectory and observed physical changes indicate that it is being torn apart and on a path toward destruction.
The ESA and NASA launched their Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft in 1995 to study the Sun. Since the spacecraft’s launch, researchers have discovered over 5,000 comets.
While we’re still not making any predictions or promises for celestial spectacles in comet form in 2025, we’re hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Either way, get out there to somewhere with dark skies and an unobstructed view of the stars. You never know: you might even discover a new comet!
Jay Chesters
Jay Chesters is a wordsmith with a little bit of a thing for the stars. As a cosmic storyteller with a love for astronomy and space that's out of this world, Jay’s always eager to share his knowledge and passions.
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