The brightest comet visible in the Northern Hemisphere sky in 2025 will be visible these very days. Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is approaching Earth and can be seen in the sky this week, the last chance to see it for the next 1,300 years.
The comet can be seen with the naked eye from bright and lightly polluted areas. PHOTO: X/@CCChrispic
The comet, discovered in January 2025 at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona (USA), passes by our planet for the first time since the 8th century. Astronomers estimate that it was near Earth around 700 AD, The Times reports.
If the weather permits, Comet Lemmon can be observed with binoculars or even with the naked eye from bright and lightly polluted areas. On Tuesday, it will reach its closest distance from Earth, about 90 million kilometers, before approaching the Sun on November 4, 2025.
As it approaches the Sun, the ice in the comet’s nucleus vaporizes, and the object takes on a spectacular greenish glow.
“Comet Lemmon is now in its best period of visibility,” said Dr Robert Massey, Deputy Director of the Royal Astronomical Society.
How and where it can be observed
Astronomers recommend observing the comet after sunset, between 19:00 and 20:00, in the west-southwest direction.
– Choose a place with an open horizon and no artificial lights;
– Look at the sky to the west, after sunset;
– During these days, the comet will pass by the Arcturus Star, then descend towards the Summer Triangle (Vega, Deneb, Altair);
– It will look like a diffuse, slightly glowing object with a “weak tail”;
– An astronomy app (SkyView, Star Walk, Stellarium) can help you locate it.
The comet appears during the Orionid meteor shower
The astronomical phenomenon is all the more spectacular as it coincides with the Orionid meteor shower, active until the beginning of November. Meteors come from Halley’s comet dust and can be seen as shooting stars in the night sky.
Comet Lemmon follows an extremely wide orbit around the Sun. After it will leave the proximity of the Earth, it will not return until 13 centuries later.
“The fact that it can be seen so easily with just binoculars makes it special. It’s an experience worth having, especially if you’ve never seen a comet before.” says astronomer Robert Massey.
