Comet PANSTARRS now visible in Finnish skies

A newly discovered comet is currently visible in Finland’s morning sky, with its brightness expected to increase in the coming weeks, reports the astronomical association Ursa.

The comet, designated C/2025 R3 (PANSTARRS), can already be spotted with binoculars and may soon become visible to the naked eye under dark skies. Its brightness is projected to quadruple by April 19, with the best viewing window between April 10 and 20 around 3:30 AM local time. The comet will appear low in the eastern to northeastern sky.

However, observation may become more difficult as the comet approaches the Sun, causing the background sky to brighten. Ursa notes that predicting comet brightness is challenging, and there is a possibility PANSTARRS may not survive its closest solar approach on April 19.

The comet has traveled roughly 170,000 years toward the Sun and is likely to exit the solar system permanently after its flyby.