September 30, 2025
Some stars end in silence, some in fire, and some leave behind the raw materials for birthdays.
Comet Lemmon Brightens
Birthday · September 30, 2025
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published September 30, 2025. Credit: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Comet Lemmon is brightening and moving into morning northern skies. Besides Comet SWAN25B and Comet ATLAS, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is now the third comet currently visible with binoculars and on long camera exposures. Comet Lemmon was discovered early this year and is still headed into the inner Solar System. The comet will round the Sun on November 8, but first it will pass its nearest to the Earth -- at about half the Earth-Sun distance -- on October 21. Although the brightnesses of comets are notoriously hard to predict, optimistic estimates have Comet Lemmon then becoming visible to the unaided eye. The comet should be best seen in predawn skies until mid-October, when it also becomes visible in evening skies. The featured image showing the comet's split and rapidly changing ion tail was taken in Texas, USA late last week. Growing Gallery: Comet Lemmon in 2025
Image credit: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter