April 17th (predawn Friday) might be your best chance to see the Comet C/2025 R3, which some think could be the brightest comet of the year! On top of that, April 17 offers up a new moon allowing for darker skies as the comet approaches peak brightness. This comet will make its closest approach to Earth on April 27th, coming within 44 million miles of our planet.
Experts estimate that the comet will likely reach magnitude eight, which means you would need access to a telescope or binoculars to see it. The comet will be visible in the eastern sky in the constellations Pegasus and above Pisces. You'll be able to spot the comet in the predawn hours from mid-April through the end of April in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the evenings in early May for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere.
Although the future brightness of any comet is hard to predict, the brightness of R3 makes it already a good camera comet and it may become visible to the naked eye in this next week. Comet R3's physical future is also unknown because, like Comet A1 (MAPS) earlier this month, it may disintegrate when it passes its closest to the Sun. Or it may live to leave the Solar System.
