Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon: View from Red Rock, Arizona
Comet Lemmon is not just another icy rock—it is a time-traveler returning to the inner solar system after roughly 1,350 years.
It was discovered on January 3, 2025, by a sky-survey team and was initially mistaken for an asteroid at a dim magnitude of +21.5; later imagery showed a tiny coma and faint tail, prompting its reclassification as a comet, with pre-discovery images traced back to November 2024. This initial misclassification highlights how subtle these objects can be when far away—and how surprise discoveries can change our understanding of a celestial object’s journey. Stretching as far as 240 astronomical units (AU) out and now spiraling inward, Lemmon’s orbital period—now estimated between 1,150 and 1,350 years—is gradually shortening due to gravitational shifts. It is a reminder that the cosmos is dynamic—and this rare return makes Comet Lemmon a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for nearly all of us.
Orbital calculations show the comet will pass closest to Earth around October 21, 2025, at roughly 0.60 AU (about 89 million km). It will reach perihelion (its nearest point to the Sun) on November 8, 2025, at about 0.53 AU.
This alignment—in which Lemmon is both near Earth and still illuminated by the Sun—creates a prime observational window. Its brightness and proximity are at a sweet spot during late October, offering a golden hunting ground for skywatchers.
Arizona is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the northwest and California to the west, and shares an international border with the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.
Image Details: "Recorded between 12:05 and 12:14 UT 9/25/2025 with RASA8 + ZWO 585mc Pro camera. Interesting tail structure developing."
Location: Red Rock, Arizona
Image Date: Sept. 25, 2025
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