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Comet C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS Visible in Southern Skies for Next Two Weeks
A comet originating from the Oort Cloud is currently visible in the southern hemisphere after passing around the sun. Viewers in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and the Pacific can observe it with binoculars or a telescope just after sunset. It will fade in brightness over the next two weeks and may not return for 170,000 years.
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A comet known as C/2025 R3 PanSTARRS is visible in the southern skies for the next two weeks, providing an opportunity for observation before it potentially disappears for 170,000 years. The comet, discovered in 2025, originates from the Oort Cloud, a region at the distant edges of the solar system.
It has completed its passage around the sun and shifted from visibility in the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere.
The comet appears as a blue-green orb with a smudgy tail, described as resembling a fuzzy meteor. It is not visible to the naked eye but can be seen using binoculars, a telescope, or a camera. Viewers should look toward the western horizon just after sunset, within the hour following sundown, for the best chance to spot it. Its brightness will decrease gradually over the next two weeks.
PanSTARRS is a long-period comet with an orbital period of approximately 170,000 years, though its path could change due to mass loss during its solar passage. It may return in that timeframe or be ejected from the solar system entirely. The comet's trajectory is difficult to predict precisely because of these factors.
“It’s really hard to predict the trajectory of them, because as they do go around the sun, they’re losing mass, and that can change the path.”
