When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Comet C/2025 A6, better known as Comet Lemmon, was one of the latest icy visitors to swing through our neighborhood of the solar system, leaving astronomers and casual skywatchers equally delighted. For observers in Hawaii, the glow of the Milky Way didn't dim the streak of light made by this comet passing through.
What is it?
Comet Lemmon was discovered in January 2025 and made its closest approach to Earth in late October 2025. But by November 2025, when this image was taken, it had brightened to about the same apparent brightness as the planet Uranus, making it visible to the naked eye even from suburban skies.
Where is it?
This image was taken atop the volcanic peak Mauna Kea, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Why is it amazing?
Comets are notoriously unpredictable, so Comet Lemmon's surprising visibility has felt like a bit of a cosmic bonus for Hawaiian stargazers. And this was a rare treat, as the comet won't return to Earth's skies for another 1,350 years, around the year 3375.
Framing this comet is the glow of our home galaxy, the Milky Way, which is easier to spot at higher elevations like Mauna Kea's peak, where there is less light pollution. The image gives us a souvenir from a celestial visitor that won't be back for more than a millennium.
Want to learn more?
You can learn more about comets and skywatching.
latest_posts
- 1
When preventable infections turn deadly behind bars | The Excerpt - 2False fuel prices in fabricated graphics circulate in Malaysia as Iran war continues
- 3Find Successful Magnificence Items for Sparkling Skin
- 4Huge Iranian missile fragments, intercepted by air defenses, lay scattered across Israel, West Bank
- 5I thought I knew the night sky, but what I saw from the Canary Islands left me speechless
- Eating ultra-processed foods could raise precancerous polyp risk for women under 50, according to research
- Brazil judge orders government to add JBS subsidiary to 'dirty list' for slavery
- Am I a Summer, or is this a scam? What I learned from color analysis.
- General Atlantic says ‘biggest mistake’ would be pulling back on Gulf deals
- She's been a Bond girl and a mutant. Now she's grappling with Hollywood's obsession with 'eternal youth.'
- See a half-lit moon shine among the stars of Aquarius on Nov. 27
- Anger as German family business group opens talks with far-right AfD
- A definitive Manual for Picking Electric Vehicle: Decision in favor of Your Number one
- The most effective method to Consummate the Specialty of Handshaking in Business and Group environments
