New Comet on the Way

While sitting in my hotel room in Vancouver after a wonderful cruise to Alaska, reviewing my notes and information on my plans to photograph comet ATLAS (C/2025 K1) later this week I came across an announcement in SkyAndTelescope magazine that a new comet, potentially naked eye, is making its approach and will be well placed in October.

Colorful and diffuse, Comet Lemmon shines at around magnitude 10.8
and exhibits a short, spiky tail pointing northwest on August 25th.
Photo by Dan Bartlett

Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6) has been brightening rapidly since early August and now glows at around magnitude 10.5. As reported in SkyAndTelescope, Lemmon was discovered during the Mount Lemmon Survey (part of the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Arizona) this past January. It was initially thought to be a faint asteroid. Later, recovery images revealed a tiny coma, tagging it as a comet. In early August, after Lemmon emerged from the solar glow at dawn, it was a dim, 14th-magnitude mote. But it quickly brightened to 11 by month's end. Will it live up to expectations? Who knows. Like I always say: "comets do what they want, whenever they want".

Once I'm back home I will post details on this new comet, with star charts and detailed info on when and how to see it. Stay tuned!