Orionids Peak as Multiple Comets Brighten

October 2025 featured a run of comet and meteor activity, with the Orionid meteor shower peaking around Oct. 21–22 under moonless conditions and an expected zenithal rate near 20 meteors per hour though clouds limited viewing in some areas. Long-period Comet Lemmon (C/2023 A3) made a close, widely photographed approach with a green coma and long blue ion tail visible from dark-sky sites and in some locations with binoculars or the naked eye. Comet SWAN (C/2025 R2) peaked around Oct. 19–20 at roughly 6th magnitude after passing about 24 million miles from Earth and was best seen with binoculars. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS also attracted strong scientific interest as it neared the Sun; NASA said it posed no threat to Earth. High-resolution imagery from ground observatories and the ISS provided both striking public views and useful scientific data on these visitors.