Rare Interstellar comet visible for the first time in 1,70,000 years; Best time to catch and how to watch it

If you’ve ever wanted to see something truly ancient with your own eyes, now is your chance. A rare interstellar comet named C/2025 R3 (Pan-STARRS) — last seen when early humans were just beginning to spread across the planet — is currently passing through our inner solar system. First discovered on September 7, 2025, by the Pan-STARRS survey in Hawaii, this “dirty snowball” orbits the Sun once every 170,000 years, making its current appearance an extremely rare event, reports New York Post.

The comet is expected to brighten significantly over the next 10 days as it moves closer to the Sun, reaching its closest point (perihelion) on April 19. It will come within 0.5 AU of the Sun — half the distance between Earth and the Sun — but it is not expected to disintegrate like some sungrazer comets.Its closest approach to Earth will be on April 27, when it reaches peak brightness, though it will unfortunately be difficult to see from the Northern Hemisphere at that time.

Best time and how to watch the comet

Your best window to catch Comet Pan-STARRS is between April 10 and 20, when it is brightening but still visible in a relatively dark sky before the Sun’s glare becomes too strong.

• When to look: About 1.5 hours before sunrise
• Direction: Low in the eastern sky
• Constellation: Look near the constellation Pegasus, specifically close to the famous Great Square of Pegasus (formed by stars Scheat, Alpheratz, Markab, and Algenib)

What you’ll see is a soft, diffuse coma (the comet’s head), possibly with the beginning of a tail as solar heating increases.While it may be visible to the naked eye under good conditions, a pair of 10×50 binoculars (or similar) will greatly improve your chances, especially as dawn approaches.
Astronomers recommend finding a spot with a clear, low eastern horizon and minimal light pollution. As per NY Post Nick James from the British Astronomical Association advises: “You will need to get up early, a couple of hours before sunrise, and have a good, low, eastern horizon.”