On November 9, 2025, between approximately 17:45 and 18:40 PDT, Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) was captured from Los Padres National Forest in California, just one day after its perihelion. The imaging setup included a Player One Zeus 455C camera paired with a William Optics Star 71 Astrograph telescope, mounted on a Celestron Advanced VX. Guiding was handled by an SVBONY SV165 guide scope and a ZWO ASI 120mm camera, with overall control managed by a Stellarmate Pro unit.
Exposures consisted of ten 120-second frames at -10°C, using a gain of 125 and offset of 20. Based on recent tests, settings of gain 20 and offset 5 in Ekos may yield improved results, though individual experience may vary with this relatively new camera model. Image acquisition was conducted through Kstars/Ekos software, and final processing was completed using Photoshop CC and PixInsight.
Capturing a comet just a day after perihelion is such a great window for activity, and your setup with the Player One Zeus camera is really interesting. I’ve been testing a similar new camera and also found that dialing in the gain and offset, like your note about trying 20 and 5, makes a huge difference in managing noise. This makes me want to check the forecast and plan a session targeting C/2025 A6 myself—what was the comet’s tail structure like in the raw frames?
Thanks for the kind words—it’s great to hear you’re fine-tuning your own camera settings, as that attention to detail really pays off. In the raw frames, the tail showed a nice, broad fan structure with some subtle striations, which really popped after stacking. If you’re planning a session, I’d recommend checking the comet’s current position on a planetarium app like Stellarium to plan your timing. I’d love to hear how your imaging run turns out, so feel free to share an update!
Capturing a comet just a day after perihelion is such a great window for activity. I’ve been testing my own Player One camera recently, and your note about experimenting with gain 20 and offset 5 in Ekos is really timely—I’m going to try that on my next clear night. Do you find the SV165 guide scope holds up well with longer focal lengths?
Thanks for sharing your own tests with the Player One camera—it’s great to hear the timing of those gain/offset notes is helpful. The SV165 has performed reliably for me with this 350mm setup, but for longer focal lengths, I’d recommend ensuring your calibration is robust and possibly using a multi-star guiding algorithm to compensate for any potential flexure. I’d love to hear how your next imaging run goes with those new settings.
Capturing a comet just a day after perihelion from a dark sky site like Los Padres is fantastic timing. I’ve been experimenting with my own Player One camera, so seeing your note about potentially using gain 20 and offset 5 in Ekos is really helpful for my next session. Have you had a chance to test those lower gain settings on other targets yet?
Thanks for the kind words—capturing it right after perihelion from that dark site was a real highlight. I have tested the lower gain settings on some brighter emission nebulae, and it does provide a cleaner background with that camera, though your optimal settings might vary with your specific sky conditions. I’d recommend a test run on a familiar target to compare the results; I’d love to hear how it works out for your setup.
Excellent capture!
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Great job!
Beautiful!
A Player One may be next on my list, but $3600 is likely too expensive for me.
Could you create a 10-frame video?