Catch Two Comets Lighting Up the Night Sky This Week

This week, sky gazers have a special treat. Two comets, Lemmon and SWAN, are making their way through our solar system. These icy space travelers are getting closer to Earth, and their brightness is peaking. Comet Lemmon is the star of the show. On Tuesday, it will be at its brightest and closest to Earth. It's shining at magnitude 4. 5, which is similar to the brightness of the Beehive Cluster. However, it's a bit dimmer than the Andromeda galaxy. Even though it's visible to the naked eye in very dark skies, binoculars will give you a better view. Comet SWAN is also making an appearance. It will be closest to Earth on Monday, but it's not as bright as Comet Lemmon. In fact, it's about three times dimmer, with a magnitude of 5. 9. To spot Comet SWAN, look for the Summer Triangle in the southwest sky. It will be about halfway between the star Altair and the horizon. The best time to see both comets is about an hour and a half after sunset. You can check local times online. For Comet Lemmon, look towards the northwest sky near the Big Dipper and the bright star Arcturus. On Monday, it will be close to the horizon, but on Tuesday, it will be a bit higher. If you're into astrophotography, there are plenty of resources to help you capture these comets. Websites like The Sky Live and In-The-Sky. org offer finder charts and sky maps. You can also use night-sky apps like Sky Guide and Sky Tonight. These comets are on very different paths. Comet Lemmon will loop around the sun on November 8 and won't be back for another 1, 350 years. Interestingly, Jupiter's gravity has shortened its orbit by nearly 200 years. Comet SWAN, on the other hand, has its own unique journey.