Once in a lifetime comet to pass by

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

We began the month with an annular solar eclipse, though it was less exciting for us as it was only visible in the very southern tip of South America. Of more excitement is the passing 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 it 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 the 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 U.S.