Overview
- The comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) reaches its minimum distance from Earth on October 21 at about 89 million kilometers, according to Russian research institutes.
- New Moon on October 21 removes lunar glare, creating optimal viewing conditions with naked-eye visibility in dark skies and clearer detail through binoculars or small telescopes.
- Observers reported a brief fade from about magnitude 4.6 to 5.7 followed by a recovery to near 4.5, with specialists expecting roughly magnitude 3.8–4 around the close pass.
- Best views favor higher northern latitudes above roughly 50°N, with the comet currently under the Big Dipper in Canes Venatici and set to pass near Arcturus by late October.
- Astronomers note a highly active tail with gas clumps detaching from the nucleus, and they add that an April 16 encounter with Jupiter shortened the comet’s orbit; the object was discovered on January 3, 2025.