What’s the story?
A rare celestial visitor, Comet C/2024 E1 (Vierzkos) is currently visible in the Indian sky. The comet was discovered in March 2024 by Polish astronomer Kakper Wierzczow during a routine survey on Mount Lemmon. It was first discovered as a 20th magnitude faint object in the constellation Draco, and was the first time humans had seen this ancient traveler from the farthest reaches of the Earth. solar system.
It’s on a journey of millions of years
Comet C/2024 E1 is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet that arrives over millions of years. On January 20, 2026, it reached its closest point to the Sun, or perihelion. At this point, it was about 85 million kilometers from the Sun. This comet’s orbit indicates that it will be permanently ejected into interstellar space after encountering our star.
orbit and approach
The comet likely came from the Oort Cloud, a distant region of icy objects beyond Pluto. Its unique orbit suggests this may be humanity’s last chance to glimpse it, as the sun’s gravity and the planet’s gravitational pull send it permanently back into deep space. The comet made its closest approach to Venus on January 1, 2026, coming within about 0.191 astronomical units (AU) of its neighboring planet.
Interesting facts about comet C/2024 E1
Comet C/2024 E1’s activity is primarily caused by carbon dioxide, rather than the more common carbon monoxide. This was confirmed by observations from. james webb space telescope The width of the comet’s core is estimated to be between 2 and 10 km, which is smaller than previous estimates of about 13.7 km. As it approached the Sun, it grew to about 3 arc minutes wide and formed a tail (a cloud of gas and dust) that extended about 1 degree across the sky.
How can I find comets in the sky?
The comet peaked at about magnitude 6.5 to magnitude 7, barely visible through binoculars or a small backyard telescope. This was a little dimmer than previous predictions, but still impressive considering the comet was more than 93 million miles away. As of February 2026, Comet C/2024 E1 is visible in the evening sky at magnitude +7, about 22 degrees away from the Sun even after its closest approach.