Comet C/2025 A6 Lemmon
Second half of September: Visible before sunrise above the northeastern horizon in the constellation Lynx, moving to Leo Minor and then to Ursa Major by the end of the month. Faint, but could be visible via small telescopes. Elongation¹ ~55°.
Early October: Best visible before dawn (around 2 a.m. local time), rising highest shortly before sunrise. Look northeast, east of the Big Dipper, near the Ursa Major border. Elongation ~58°.
Mid-October: Shifts into the evening sky for many locations (some will still see it in the morning and evening). In the evening, look above the northwest horizon (west of the Big Dipper). In the morning, look northwest, north of the Big Dipper. On October 16, passes less than 1° from Cor Caroli (mag 2.9). Elongation ~48°.
Late October: Best visible in the evening. It’s better to wait until the sky is fully dark (astronomical darkness). Look above the western horizon in Boötes. Arcturus sits roughly 10° (one fist at arm’s length) below the comet. Elongation ~39°.
End of October–beginning of November (peak brightness): Look after dusk above the western horizon in Ophiuchus. The nearest bright star is Unukalhai (mag 2.6), about 8° to the west. Elongation ~33°.
Mid-November: After the November 8 perihelion, the comet will fade rapidly. It becomes observable in the Southern Hemisphere in the evening, staying low in the west in Ophiuchus. Elongation ~24°.
¹Simply put, elongation is the angular distance separating a celestial object from the Sun. The bigger the number, the better an object is visible, since sunlight doesn’t interfere with observations.
