Last seen 1320 years ago – Green comets pass by

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Comet Lemmon is currently offering a rare celestial spectacle: Lemmon and Swan will be visible to the naked eye in Austria until November 12.

Two comets are providing a rare celestial spectacle: the celestial bodies named Lemmon and Swan are easy to spot in the night sky these days.

Under good conditions, you don’t even need a telescope to see it: “Because it is close to both Earth and the sun, it is a striking comet and will be visible to the naked eye from a dark location,” Uwe Pilz, chairman of the Association of Star Friends, told the news agency dpa about Comet Lemmon.

According to experts, the best time for observation is until October 31, when the comet will reach its maximum brightness and be relatively high above the horizon. The waxing new moon will also contribute to its visibility.

According to the website starwalk, it will be visible in Vienna on Monday at around 6 p.m. at an altitude of 35 degrees in the southwest. In other regions, these values are only marginally different. By November 10, its maximum altitude will drop to about 21 degrees.

In photos, Comet Lemmon looks like a bright green streak with a long tail. Through binoculars, it is a hazy spot with a short tail; to the naked eye, the pleasure is reduced to a blurry spot that looks like a star. It has been visible since October 18 and will disappear again around November 12.t

Its brightness is given as 3.8 to 4.8 mag (apparent magnitude) – the smaller the value, the brighter it is. For comparison: the sun has a magnitude of -26.7, while Sirius shines at minus 1.4.

Lemmon, scientifically known as C/2025 A6, was last seen 1,320 years ago and will not return for another 1,410 years. It is moving rapidly through several constellations, such as the Great Bear and the Big Dipper. It reached its closest point to Earth on Tuesday, at a distance of about 90 million kilometers.

At 30 million kilometers, C/2025 R2, alias Swan, is coming much closer to us. It should be visible in the southwest these days and in the south at the beginning of November. Its orbital period is not yet known – it was only discovered in September this year. Like Lemmon, it appears slightly green due to escaping gases – however, this requires appropriate magnification, otherwise both appear gray and blurred.