New sungrazing comet inbound<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s a new comet headed into the inner solar system, and it will make an extremely close pass by the sun April 4-5, 2026. This puts it in the category of a sungrazing comet<\/em>. The International Astronomical Union has now named the comet C\/2026 A1 (MAPS). It\u2019s the first comet discovered in 2026.<\/p>\n The MAPS program, run by a group of French amateur astronomers using telescopes in Chile, discovered the comet on January 13, 2026. The amateur astronomers used an 11-inch (0.28 meter) diameter telescope at San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Their observation program, MAPS, is an acronym that stands for their last names: Maury, Attard, Parrott and Signoret.<\/p>\n Astronomer Piero Sicoli from the Sormano Astronomical Observatory in Italy found this object has an orbit quite similar to comet C\/1963 R1 (Pereyra). So it might be a fragment of it or another comet with a very similar trajectory of a type called Kreutz comets. These comets are named in honor of German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz.<\/p>\n Kreutz comets are a family of sungrazing comets. They pass extremely close to the sun. Scientists think they might be big fragments of a huge comet that broke apart centuries ago.<\/p>\n C\/2026 A1 is already showing a small tail and diffuse, green coma. The coloring suggest the emission of diatomic carbon (C2), a gas commonly seen in comets.<\/p>\n The comet is currently between the constellations of Columba the Dove and Eridanus the River.<\/p>\n A detail that has caught astronomers\u2019 attention is that the new-found object was around magnitude 18 when it was still 2 astronomical units (AU) away. (1 AU is equal to the the Earth-Sun distance.) <\/p>\n This might be the furthest from the sun astronomers have seen a Kreutz sungrazer on its way to perihelion. (Perihelion means closest approach to the sun.) Seeing it this early suggests it should be decent sized. And, therefore, it might get bright as it approaches the sun in the coming weeks. <\/p>\n Preliminary observations suggest the newly found comet\u2019s nucleus might have a diameter of up to 1.5 miles (2.4 km) across.<\/p>\n How close will Comet C\/2026 A1 MAPS get to the sun? Well, preliminary estimates indicate the sungrazing comet will pass at 487,088 miles (783,892 km) from the sun\u2019s surface. That\u2019s scorchingly close. The diameter of the sun itself spans 865,370 mi (139,2678 km). <\/p>\n Comets that get this close to the sun can disintegrate. The intense heat can force outgassing in the comet that rips it apart. Plus, the pull of the sun\u2019s gravity can also cause it to fragment. If it does<\/em> survive the intense heat of the sun, the comet might get very bright at dusk. This would be after its closest approach to the sun, during the first week of April.<\/p>\n But there is reason for hope! Other comets have passed even closer to the sun and survived. They\u2019ve even become bright beacons in the night sky. For example, C\/1965 S1 (Ikeya\u2013Seki) came within 280,000 miles (450,000 km) of the sun. It ended up shining at magnitude -10. Observers called it the Great Comet of 1965. Then, more recently, C\/2011 W3 (Lovejoy) came within 87,000 mi (140,000 km) of the sun in 2011. Ultimately, it shone at around magnitude -3 or -4, about as bright as Venus. These kinds of comets do not occur often. So this will be a rare opportunity for scientists to learn more about sungrazing comets.<\/p>\n In the beginning of 2026, views of Comet C\/2026 A1 will remain the territory of powerful telescopes. If you have a large telescope, you can use the March finder maps below to spot the comet. And anyone can start looking for the comet in April, when it could be bright enough to see with your eye alone.<\/p>\n Bottom line: A new sungrazing comet will swing around the sun in early April. There\u2019s a chance it could emerge as a bright target in our skies.<\/p>\n Read more: The best comets of 2026: Here\u2019s what to watch for<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA possible fragment from a larger comet<\/h3>\n
What does the sungrazing comet look like now?<\/h3>\n
![\"Bluish](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/C2026-A1-Gerald-Rhemann-and-Michael-Jager-image-1-e1769014732182.jpg\")
The comet might be large<\/h3>\n
The dangers for sungrazing comets<\/h3>\n
![\"Solar](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Orbit-of-Comet-C2026-A1-Univ-of-Arizona-and-Neofixer-e1769014827752.jpg\")
Finder charts<\/h3>\n
![\"Star](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Location-of-Comet-C2026-A1-on-March-9-2026-at-815-pm-CT-passing-close-to-where-we-see-some-galaxies-in-the-constellation-of-Cetus-Eddie-Irizarry-Stellarium-e1769016560306.jpg\")
![\"Star](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Location-of-Comet-C2026-A1-on-March-16-2026-at-820-pm-CT-in-the-constellation-of-Cetus-Eddie-Irizarry-Stellarium-e1769016721184.jpg\")
![\"Star](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Location-of-Comet-C2026-A1-on-April-8-2026-Eddie-Irizarry-Stellarium-e1769015971160.jpg\")
![\"Star](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Location-of-Comet-C2026-A1-on-April-10-during-sunset-facing-a-clear-unobstructed-West-horizon-e1769016075790.jpg\")