C/2025 A6 – comet Lemmon
in Leo Minor
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is a non-periodic comet discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on January 3, 2025. It has generated excitement for its unexpectedly rapid brightening, making it a potentially spectacular sight for observers in the Northern Hemisphere. This long-period comet is on an elliptical orbit, taking approximately 1,350 years to circle the Sun, a period that will be slightly reduced after its current pass. It is making its closest approach to Earth on October 21, 2025, and will reach perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on November 8, 2025. Current brightness estimates suggest it may reach an apparent magnitude of between 2.5 and 4, which could make it visible to the naked eye under sufficiently dark, non-light-polluted skies during late October and early November. The comet displays a greenish coma, resulting from diatomic carbon fluorescing in sunlight, along with a developing dust and ion tail. Written by Gemini AI.
Imaging Details
Telescope: 6 inch f/4 Newtonian with Paracorr Type 2 (effective focal length 690mm) and 2” Feather Touch Focuser
Camera: Player One Poseidon-C Pro, Optolong L-Pro filter, Phoenix Filter Wheel 2″x5
Resolution: 1.11 arcsec/px
Mount: Mesu Mount 200
Guiding: Player One OAG Max and ZWO ASI290MM Mini guide camera
Exposure Length: OSC: 180 sec x 36
Location: Glenwood, MN
Date: 10/3/2025
Software: SciTech, SkyGuide (Innovations Foresight), N.I.N.A., Optic FocusLynx, Pixinsight, SkySafari Pro