I’ve had a real problem finding Comet Lemmon (C/2025 A6). It’s been relatively clear, but I’ve had other challenges. 

1) It's pretty low, so I've had challenges nailing the window between "not dark enough" and "it's below the horizon".
2) For me, the NNW direction is toward Washington, D.C. Even on the darkest nights, that horizon has a lot of light pollution.
3) Even when it's clear, low clouds have been a problem...
4) Pesky neighborhood lights. (Yes, I could try and get somewhere different, but time's been hard to manage there - weeknights are work nights).
5) It really is too dim to spot with the naked eye.

Despite that, I finally caught it tonight with 15 and 20-second exposures on a DSLR. It’s not great, and what could possibly be a pretty substantial tail is pretty washed out – but this is clearly a comet, and I can check the box that says I spotted it!

Worth the search, regardless!

Much like trying to find the real thing – this is a little easier to see if you avoid looking directly at it. The tail seems to pop more. It’s just left of center, just above the trees. The three stars to the right of it are (left to right) Epsilon, Sigma, and Rho Bootis. Epsilon is also called “Izar”.

Get Out There

3 thoughts on “Comet Lemmon – Not Great, But…”

Leave a comment