Home / Editor's Pick /

Once in a lifetime comet to pass by

13:00
2 October 2024

October astronomy outlook
Once in a lifetime comet to pass by

Man sits with telescope looking up at the Milky Way.

It's a busy month for meteor showers, with two taking place amid the third supermoon of the year and an extremely rare comet.

Event Date
Annular solar eclipseOctober 2nd
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-Atlas) pass byOctober 9-13th
Draconid Meteor ShowerOctober 7th
SupermoonOctober 17th
Orionid Meteor ShowerOctober 21-22nd

Beginning the month is an annular solar eclipse, during with the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, though it is less exciting for us as it is only visible in the very southern tip of South America.

Of more excitement is the pass by of the Comet C/2023 A3. With an 80,000-year orbit around the Sun, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spot the icy rock on its closest approach to Earth on the 13th without the need for equipment.

The comet will be visible between October 12th to 30th on either side of its closest approach and was only discovered last January.

A minor meteor shower, the Draconids reach their peak on October 7th though with only 10 shooting stars an hour will require some patience and clear skies.

Soon after, the third consecutive supermoon of the year rises, typically this full Moon is known as the Hunter's Moon but as a supermoon will appear larger and brighter in the evening sky on the 17th.

The final event of October, is the month's second meteor shower, the Orionids. This is more active than the Draconids, but still only delivers an average of 20 meteors an hour.

Usually visible from October 2nd to early November, the peak of the shower takes place on October 21st.

Don't forget to show off your pictures if you see any of these events, or simply anything else you wish to share! Tap the image icon in the app, or use one of our dedicated uploaders for the UK or Ireland.

Astrophotography tips for your phoneread more
Ryan Hathaway
More on the topic
Temperature radar for south-western Europe Peak values
Tuesday 12 August 2025

Peak values above 40 °C

Extreme heat in South-Western Europe
Shooting star shower
Tuesday 12 August 2025

Perseids overhead

Meteor shower reaches its peak
Dark sky full of stars. Several shooting stars fly in different directions – typical of a meteor shower.
Thursday 14 August 2025

Photos from across Europe

Night sky in the spotlight
All weather news
This might also interest you
Friday 15 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Split with cooler north, hot south
Weather map showing a split in north-south conditions of the UK. Scotland sees widespread cloud cover while England and Wales have clear skies.
Friday 15 August 2025

Clouds on the move

North-south split in conditions
Friday 8 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Wet and windy again for many
All articles
Weather & Radar

www.weatherandradar.ie

facebooktwitteryouTubeContact uslinkList
Privacy Policy | Legal info | Accessibility statement