{"id":47928,"date":"2026-04-11T20:23:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47928"},"modified":"2026-04-11T20:23:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:23:52","slug":"stargazers-will-be-able-to-see-rare-comet-not-visible-since-prehistoric-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47928","title":{"rendered":"Stargazers will be able to see rare comet not visible since prehistoric times"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>It\u2019s a real flash in the \u201cPan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Artemis II moon mission may have concluded, but there are still some cosmic wonders on the horizon. For the first time since the prehistoric age, interstellar comet C\/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) will be passing through our neck of the solar system, offering Earthlings a rare chance to glimpse this celestial drifter.<\/p>\n<p>First spotted by the Pan-STARRS survey at Haleakala, Hawaii, on Sept. 7, 2025, the iceball only orbits the sun once every 170,000 years, making this celestial cameo super rare<a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/astronomy\/comets\/why-im-hunting-for-comet-pan-starrs-right-now-before-its-too-late\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">, Space.com reported.<\/a> <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39057396\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<figcaption>Comet PanSTARRS sets over the Very Large Array radio telescope antenna dishes March 12, 2013 near Magdalena, New Mexico.  <span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The dirty snowball will brighten over the next 10 days as it approaches our inner solar system, thereby making it easier to spot. Pan-STARRS will reach perihelion \u2014 its closest point to the sun \u2014 on April 19. <\/p>\n<p>But it will only come within 0.5 AU \u2014 half the Earth-sun distance \u2014 meaning that it won\u2019t disintegrate like other \u201csungrazer\u201d comets, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jamiecartereurope\/2026\/04\/10\/a-bright-comet-is-now-visible---how-to-see-panstarrs-this-weekend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forbes reported.<\/a><\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Meanwhile, Pan-STARRS will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27 \u2014 when it will be at its brightest\u2013 but will unfortunately be impossible to see from the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to watch<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39057394\"><br \/>\n\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.77469671;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39057394\" width=\"1024\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Night sky over Las Vegas.\" class=\"wp-image-39057394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 3000w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=300,169&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=768,432&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=1024,577&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=1536,865&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=2048,1153&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=600,338&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, 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96w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=200,113&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=231,130&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=322,181&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=664,374&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 664w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=142,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 142w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=1200,676&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=87,49&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=234,132&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 234w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=50,28&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/04\/comet-panstarrs-right-passes-stratosphere-125429601.jpg?resize=150,84&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The comet Pan-STARRS and a waxing crescent moon above the Stratosphere Casino Hotel and the Las Vegas skyline at night. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>How does one take advantage of this once-in-many-lifetimes opportunity? Take a gander between April 10-20, when the comet is becoming increasingly radiant but not yet obscured by the sun\u2019s glare.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>During that window, STARRS-gazers in the Northern Hemisphere are urged to look low in the eastern sky about an hour and a half before sunrise. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you want to catch the comet, your best chance is over the next week or so as the comet brightens, but it remains observable in a relatively dark sky,\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/britastro.org\/section_news_item\/comet-c-2025-r3-panstarrs-is-worth-observing-in-the-morning-sky\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u00a0<\/a>said\u00a0Nick James, head of the comet section at the British Astronomical Association. \u201cYou will need to get up early, a couple of hours before sunrise, and have a good, low, eastern horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Observes should search within the constellation Pegasus, which the comet is currently traversing near the iconic Great Square of Pegasus \u2014 4 stars of nearly equal brightness: Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab and Algenib.<\/p>\n<p>Skywatchers should look for a soft, diffuse coma, potentially with a tail that\u2019s just starting to sprout. This process could be accelerated as solar heating intensifies.<\/p>\n<p>While Pan-STARRS is visible to the naked eye, a pair of 10\u00d750 binoculars (or similar dimensions) will be helpful during the rising dawn.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/11\/science\/stargazers-will-be-able-to-see-rare-comet-not-visible-since-prehistoric-times\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a real flash in the \u201cPan.\u201d The Artemis II moon mission may have concluded, but there are still some cosmic wonders on the horizon. For&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47928"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47928\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}