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6d ago

Comet Lemmon Makes Closest Approach Oct. 20–21 With Prime Viewing Under New Moon

Expect a faint green glow that may reach naked-eye range, though most observers will need binoculars for the brief evening and pre-dawn windows.

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On October 17, this imager captured Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) through his Celestron RASA telescope at f/2. He combined 40 minutes of exposure taken with a ZWO ASI 2600 MC camera. Visually, you won’t see the colors he captured or the full length of the tail, but you will see the bright coma and some of the tail emanating from it. Credit: Chris Schur
C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) on October 2, 2025. Credit: Dimitrios Katevainis
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Overview

  • The long-period comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) passes at roughly 55 million miles from Earth early this week, with perihelion to follow on November 8 and no impact risk reported.
  • Best viewing is about 60–90 minutes after sunset in the northwest near the Big Dipper and Boötes, with a shorter pre-dawn opportunity; livestream coverage is planned by the Virtual Telescope Project.
  • Brightness forecasts differ, with JPL modeling around magnitude ~6–7 and ground reports near ~5, so visibility will hinge on dark skies and weather, and binoculars are recommended.
  • Spectroscopy and imaging show a green, C2-dominated coma and evolving dust and gas tails, and professional and amateur teams continue monitoring during the approach and through perihelion.
  • The flyby coincides with the Orionid meteor shower peak and the simultaneous visibility of Comet SWAN (C/2025 R2), offering a rare pairing under moonless skies for northern observers.