15X70 Binoculars / White Gel Pen and Pastels on Black Card.
Killadoon, Co Mayo, Ireland. Strong Wind.
Ouch
An eyeful of Lemmon sounds painful, but not when it’s a comet.
Yes, I know I’m writing about Lemmon again, but it is a rare and wonderful sight. It’s accessible even in 10X50 binoculars and is almost naked-eye at the moment, if you have a clear sky. We are privileged to witness such a celestial event. It will be another thousand years before this comet revisits us.
Going for a Lemmon
The forecast for October 21st was dismal: rain, cloud and more cloud.
However, just after 19:00, I noticed it wasn’t raining, so I went out to have a look over the ocean. A sky full of black clouds greeted me, but there were a few gaps. Ursa Major was half visible. Its handle was cloaked in cloud, but the clouds were moving.
Returning inside, I quickly grabbed the 10X50 binoculars and the 15X70s. Within a few minutes, the sky cleared above Arcturus. I got a brief view of C/2025 (Lemmon) in both binoculars. OMG, it looked good, much clearer and brighter than on October 12th. ( see below)
I had to try a sketch. My circle was prepared, and my pastels and pens were ready to go. I placed the two stars above the coma first, then began drawing. There was a strong wind off the ocean. I was standing in a position where I was getting the full blast. So I had to put my pastels and pens in my pocket. Otherwise, they would be blown onto the deck and vanish between the boards, never to be seen again.
Occasionally, the C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) was almost visible to the naked eye. Its position in the night sky was in the constellation Bootes. Its local position was over Inishturk in the Atlantic, 24 degrees above the ocean,89 million kilometres from Earth. I felt so lucky to see it, especially since it was at its closest to Earth during this visit to our solar system.
Lucky gap
Lots of clouds, and I was fortunate to catch it in a gap. Sometime after the binocular drawing, I had a brief look at it in my 8-inch dob. The tail filled my FOV, but there was very little detail on view most likely because it was much lower at the time. However, I was mega happy to get a clear view through my binoculars. The inner coma (False Nucleus) was super white, surrounded by a grey-white blob and a long tail that merged into the darkness. It looked like an Alka-Seltzer. Dark clouds obscured my view after that, and I was freezing in the wind.
We have a low-pressure stormy week ahead, but hopefully some clear skies after that. I’ve been admiring the images of C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) from around the world. Wallowing in its detail is yet to be my pleasure, but what I have seen so far fills me with joy.
