Your Ultimate Guide to Spotting Comet Lemmon This October: Tips for Stargazers

The excitement is building as Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) brightens ahead of its approach to the sun. It’s catching attention because it might be bright enough to see with the naked eye around mid to late October.

Comets like Lemmon often get more active as they near perihelion, the closest point to the sun in their orbits. The sun’s heat turns the icy parts of a comet into gas, forming a bright cloud around its center, called a coma, and a tail that glimmers against the night sky.

As of now, Comet Lemmon’s brightness has jumped from magnitude +21.5 at its discovery in January to about +5.7. This makes it technically visible to the human eye under dark conditions, but light from the waning gibbous moon may obscure it soon.

If Lemmon keeps brightening at this pace, it should soon be easy to spot with binoculars or a backyard telescope. Mid-October will see the comet passing close to the star Alkaphrah in Ursa Major, just below the Big Dipper. By October 21, it will be in the heart of Boötes, before moving on to the constellation Serpens around October 26-27.

Tracking where to look will be crucial. In early October, it will appear high in the northeastern sky before shifting to the evening sky by the time it nears Earth.

As more people get into astronomy, the appeal of watching comets has surged. Recent statistics show that interest in stargazing has risen about 30% over the past few years. Many are sharing their views on social media too, with hashtags like #CometLemmon trending as enthusiasts post updates and photos.

For those eager to photograph Comet Lemmon, there are tips available on capturing celestial bodies and recommendations for cameras and telescopes ideal for astrophotography.

Stay tuned for the sightings!



Source link