From Newsgroup: alt.astronomy

from https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/green-comet-lemmon-bay-area-california-21110700.php

Green comet to fly over California, won't be seen again for 1,000 years
By Amanda Bartlett,
Assistant Local Editor
Oct 21, 2025
A rare green comet is expected to fly over the Bay Area on Tuesday night.

Javier Zayas Photography/Moment RF via Getty

A newly discovered comet is about to make its closest pass to Earth on
Tuesday night. It should be visible over the Bay Area before it
disappears rCo and wonrCOt be seen again for more than a thousand years.

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is named after the Mount Lemmon Survey near
Tucson, Arizona, where it was first identified by scientists on Jan. 3.
Though it was joined in the night sky by another rCLcosmic snowballrCY
called Comet SWAN on Monday, that comet is expected to grow dimmer as
the days go by. Meanwhile, experts are calling Comet Lemmon the best and brightest comet to view from Earth this year.

To see it, head to a dark location as far away from city lights as
possible about 45 minutes to an hour after sunset, Gerald McKeegan, an
adjunct astronomer at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, told
SFGATE in an email. It should briefly appear low in the western sky,
about 55 million miles away from Earth. Though it may be visible to the
naked eye, yourCOll have a much better chance of seeing it using
binoculars, he said.

That said, the first atmospheric river of the season may put a damper on viewing as the storm is projected to sweep through the Bay Area on Friday.

rCLUnfortunately for stargazers, we are expecting clouds to return
tomorrow night as onshore flow increases,rCY Roger Gass, a meteorologist
for the National Weather ServicerCOs Bay Area office, told SFGATE on Monday.

Comet Lemmon was discovered in January.
Comet Lemmon was discovered in January.

green comet2- Jim Miller/Getty Images/500px
The good news is yourCOll have plenty of opportunities to try again. Comet Lemmon should be around through Nov. 3 and become slightly brighter
around Oct. 26 or 27 as it makes its elliptical orbit around the Sun,
McKeegan said.

After that, it wonrCOt return to the inner solar system for rCLat least
1,300 years,rCY he said. rCLThis will be the only chance to see this comet.rCY

Similar to the green comet that stunned local stargazers back in 2023, LemmonrCOs shamrock-colored hue comes from the unique breakdown of
different types of ice that make up its body. As it nears the sun, that
ice changes from a solid to a gas.

rCLDepending on the composition of the ices in the comet, that gas can
appear green,rCY he said. rCLIt is also common to see comets that appear
blue or white, with occasional hints of other colors.rCY

While yourCOre looking up, you might catch a glimpse of Saturn rCo look for the bright star in the southeastern sky around 8:30 p.m., and if you
have a pair of binoculars handy, you may even see its rings. The Orionid meteor shower is also expected to reach its peak on Tuesday night, but
donrCOt expect too much of a show rCo it only produces about 20 meteors per hour, McKeegan said.

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Oct 21, 2025


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