Comet Lemmon’s ghostly tail haunts the skies above England (picture)

Award-winning astrophotographer Josh Dury has captured a surprising view of Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) shining within the sky over Somerset within the U.Ok. forward of its shut strategy to Earth on Oct. 21.

Dury revealed Comet Lemmon‘s vibrant inexperienced coma and lengthy diffuse tail streaking by way of the eventing sky in beautiful element as day gave option to night time above the Mendip Hills space Oct. 12.

Comet Lemmon’s tail was formed when heat radiating from the sun caused icy materials embedded in its ancient body to transform directly into gas, a process known as sublimation. This diffuse cloud of debris was then blown away by the steady stream of charged particles emanating from our sun known as the solar wind — hence why a comet’s tail is always seen pointing away from the sun.

Dury worked through haze and high wind to capture a breathtaking shot of the distant night sky visitor using his Sony A7S III camera in concert with a Sigma 135mm F/1.4 Art lens, as a diffuse pink aurora glowed close to the horizon. “I would say in this instance, the weather was more the challenge,” Dury advised Space.com. “With anti-cyclonic gloom affecting the weather for the best part of a week or more, there wasn’t much opportunity to photograph the comet from here in the West Country. Taken from higher ground, I was surrounded by haze, mist and fog.”

Comet Lemmon has a present magnitude of round +4.9, which ought to make it seen to the bare eye from darkish sky areas. The comet is anticipated to proceed to brighten forward of its shut strategy to Earth, after which it’s going to step by step fade from our skies for over a thousand years. During that point, it’s going to undertake an elliptical tour of the distant photo voltaic system that can take it effectively past the orbit of the fuel big Neptune.

Stargazers hoping to seize a picture of Comet Lemmon earlier than it disappears from Earth’s sky ought to contemplate selecting up a duplicate of Dury’s e book 52 Assignments: Night Photography, which gives tips on how to image comets and countless other deep sky targets. Be sure to also check out our finders guide detailing where and when to look for Comet Lemmon throughout October.

Editor’s note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.