A comet discovered in late 2025 has a high likelihood of flashing across the sky above Boone County in late April.
Comet C/2025 R3 is the official name of the celestial object, but scientists have coined it the “Great Comet of 2026” since it will potentially be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“If this comet becomes what people are hoping for, it will be an extremely rare event for any living person,” said Haojing Yan, astronomy and physics professor at the University of Missouri.
Yan said there is no guarantee that this comet can be seen with the naked eye.
“We have yet to calculate exact numbers as of now,” he said. “Within the coming months, calculations could change.”
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ATLAS C/2019 Y4 is another comet that was expected to be bright enough to view without a telescope in 2020. But the object disintegrated before getting close enough to Earth for people to see, according to NASA.
If C/2025 R3 does become a naked-eye comet, Yan said residents may be able to see it in the sky for a few months.
On April 17, the comet may be the most visible, according to NASA. There will be a new moon that night, meaning the comet will be more striking.
“Astronomers take a good portion of their career to study these objects, but it’s just beautiful once they become a naked-eye comet,” Yan said.