Topline

A brightening comet is becoming easier to see before sunrise from across the Northern Hemisphere — and the morning of Wednesday, April 15, offers one of the most beautiful sky scenes of the week. Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) remains a subtle target low in the dawn twilight, but it doubled in brightness over the weekend and is slowly improving each day. Alongside it, a vanishingly thin crescent moon and two planets cluster just before sunrise. Catch it now — and certainly before the weekend — when it will get tougher to see as it gets closer to the sun on its 170,000-year journey. Remember to check my feed for a daily comet tracker with sky-charts and tips for viewing comet Pan-STARRS throughout its visit.

Key Facts

Two Hourscomet Tracker For Wednesday, April 15

On April 15, Comet C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) is about 0.75 AU (112 million kilometers) from Earth and 0.51 AU (77 million kilometers) from the sun, with both brightness and motion now becoming more noticeable day by day — though a clear, unobstructed eastern horizon is essential. Comet Pan-STARRS is currently shining at around magnitude +4.5 and sits low in the eastern sky in the constellation Pegasus, firmly within the Great Square of Pegasus. Sky maps can be viewed and downloaded from The Sky Live and In-The-Sky.com.

How To Find Comet Pan-Starrs

For now, the comet appears as a faint, diffuse glow — easy to miss in twilight, but steadily brightening as it approaches the sun.

• Go outside about two hours before sunrise where you are and look low in the eastern sky.
• The key is to first locate the Great Square of Pegasus rising due east — a large, diamond-shaped pattern of four stars.
• Look at the lower half of the Great Square for a small, misty patch of light.
• A pair of 10x50 binoculars will make it much easier to locate.

How To Photograph A Comet

A single shot could reveal what your eyes cannot. If you’re heading out to find the comet, bring a manual camera. Set it on a tripod, use night or manual mode, focus on a bright star, then reframe and take a series of 5-30 second exposures. Keep ISO between 800 and 3200 and use the widest aperture available. Review each image and adjust because conditions change very quickly as dawn rises.

What To Look For In The Dawn Sky

Wednesday brings one of the month's most subtle and beautiful dawn scenes. Look very low in the eastern twilight for an ultra-thin crescent moon, just 5%-illuminated and only days from new. It may appear as little more than a sliver of light, hovering just above the horizon before quickly fading in the brightening sky.

Below it, you may be able to glimpse Mercury and Mars, both sitting around three degrees beneath the moon. This is a challenging view that requires a clear horizon and excellent visibility.

Comets: Why Position Matters As Much As Brightness

A comet’s visibility isn’t just about how bright it is — it’s about where it appears in the sky. Even a relatively bright comet can be difficult to see if it sits low in twilight, while a fainter one can be easier if it appears higher in a dark sky. Right now, Comet Pan-STARRS is caught between those two effects. It is brightening — but also edging closer to the sun in the sky. That tension is what makes this moment so important for observers — and it’s why it’s critical to observe Comet Pan-STARRS as soon as possible before it gets swallowed up by the glare of the sun.

Check my feed for a daily “comet tracker” with sky charts and tips for finding Comet Pan-STARRS.

Further Reading

Forbes‘Comet Of The Year’ Vaporized — But Another Will Peak Late AprilForbesHow To Photograph The Green Comets This Weekend, According To ExpertsBy Jamie CarterForbesAstronauts Share Spectacular Earth Images From Halfway To The MoonBy Jamie CarterForbesArtemis Astronauts See Earthrise, Earthset And A Total Solar EclipseBy Jamie CarterForbes11,000 Asteroids Have Just Been Found — 33 Are Near-Earth ObjectsBy Jamie CarterForbesAstronauts Share Spectacular Earth Images From Halfway To The MoonBy Jamie Carter