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
Split weather map showing two forecasts for the UK and Ireland. The left side displays a wind map with a low-pressure system west of Ireland bringing gusts up to 40 mph near Aberdeen. The right side shows a rain radar with blue areas of rainfall moving eastwards from the Atlantic towards Cork, Dublin, and western Britain under mostly cloudy skies.
Thursday 16 October 2025

Weekend pressure change

Return of unsettled conditions
Comet "Lemmon" (C/2025 A6) in the sky at the beginning of October
Friday 10 October 2025

Rare visitors this month

Two comets visible at once
Two typhoons are moving across the western Pacific Ocean towards Japan. Halong is located east of Tokyo and Nakri is south of Tokyo. The coloured areas indicate the intensity of the storm.
Thursday 9 October 2025

Busy in the Pacific

Tropical storms near the Japanese coast
All weather news
This might also interest you
Friday 15 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Split with cooler north, hot south
Split weather map showing the UK and Ireland. The left side illustrates strong winds circulating around a low-pressure system, with gusts of 20–30 mph highlighted in orange and yellow. The right side shows radar imagery with widespread blue rain bands and patches of thunderstorms, especially over northern England and Scotland.
Thursday 28 August 2025

Breakfast brief

Remaining widely unsettled
Mammatus clouds
Thursday 21 August 2025

Unusual view

Mammatus clouds over Ireland
All articles
Weather & Radar

www.weatherandradar.ie

facebooktwitteryouTubeContact uslinkList
Privacy Policy | Legal info | Accessibility statement