Montanans Could See Two Rare Comets and a Meteor Shower This Week

Montana has some amazing views of celestial events. That’s thanks to our open spaces, small population, and minimal light pollution. Last week we had a chance to see the Northern Lights.  

READ MORE: 'Trail to the Stars' Offers A Map to Stargazing in Montana

The next two days we will have a chance to see two comets lighting up the night sky. This is a rare sight. Comets C/2025 A4 (Lemmon) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN) will be passing close to earth.  

Two Rare Comets Visible Over Montana

Close, of course, is a relative term when it comes to space. According to Space.com, Lemmon will pass about 56 million miles close to Earth, and SWAN will pass roughly 24 million miles. Both are expected to reach peak brightness tonight and tomorrow night, October 20 and 21.  

READ MORE: This Montana Park Is One of the Best Spots in America for Stargazing

Lemmon is best viewed with binoculars or a small telescope in the western evening sky after sunset. SWAN is best viewed in the pre-dawn sky on the eastern horizon.  

Having two comets in the sky isn’t the only celestial event happening over the next few days.  

The annual Orionids Meteor Shower will be peaking at the same time. There can be between 10-20 bright, fast-moving meteors per hour during the peak of the meteor shower. Orionids will peak on Tuesday, October 21, but the shower can be seen until around November 22.  

Don’t Forget the Orionids Meteor Shower

As with all celestial events in Montana, so much of the view will be dependent on whether we have clear skies, or not, but if we have some clearing of the clouds, keep your eyes open to see some amazing events the next few nights and early mornings.