C/2026 A1 (MAPS), discovered in January, is approaching dangerous perihelion; Southern Hemisphere may have better viewing conditions in twilight skies
A long-period comet discovered in mid-January is generating unusual interest in the astronomy community: It is expected to “shave” the Sun in early April 2026. If it survives the extreme heating and gravitational forces near the Sun, it could become a very prominent object in the twilight sky – especially in the Southern Hemisphere. (Star walk)
The comet is called C/2026 A1 (MAPS)It was discovered on January 13, 2026 in Chile by four amateur astronomers – Alain Maury, Georges Attard, Daniel Parrott and Florian Signoret – as part of the MAPS program, which operates robotic telescopes and searches for small objects in the solar system. (Sky & Telescope)
Why is everyone talking about him now?
The main reason is geometry: it is a “sun-scraping comet” (sungrazer), probably from the family Kreutz – A family of comet fragments that come very close to the Sun, and sometimes break up. On the one hand, many of them evaporate or break up before they are good enough to look at from the ground. On the other hand, when a relatively large fragment does survive, it may brighten rapidly and develop an impressive tail in a short time.
Another point of interest: It was discovered relatively “early” for a comet of this type – at a great distance from the Sun – which makes it possible to track it for months and improve the orbit solution and predictions.
The trajectory: How close will it pass the sun?
According to current orbital data from the Comet Observation Database, perihelion (the point of closest approach to the Sun) is expected onApril 4 2026 around 13:31 (UTC), with a perihelion distance of about0.005454 astronomical unitsThis is equivalent to816 thousand km from the center of the sunsystem. (cobs.si)
To understand what this means in practice: the Sun's radius is approximately 696 thousand km, so the comet is expected to pass within the order of magnitude of A few hundred thousand kilometers above the surface of the sun – and the exact number still depends on orbit updates as observations accumulate. One of the comet discoverer’s early estimates mentioned an order of magnitude of about191 thousand km above the surface of the Sun.
The orbit is also “reverse” with respect to the direction of planetary motion (an inclination of about144.5°), and the turnaround period is estimated at1,174 years.
When will it be possible to see it, and is it realistic from Israel?
This is where the big uncertainty comes in: Brightness predictions for comets, especially solar comets, can change quickly. According to a background article in Sky & Telescope, the comet is expected to remain fairly faint for some time to come, becoming a more convenient target for medium-sized telescopes only towards Mid-March (An order of magnitude of brightness around magnitude 13).
The “dream” scenario is a sharp brightening around perihelion (early April), then a reappearance after passing near the Sun – sometimes with a large tail. But this is exactly the stage at which many solar comets break up. That’s why most sources emphasize: There is potential – but no promise.
Regarding Israel (northern latitude): According to estimates, the better observation is expected to be in the southern hemisphere, while in the north (including Israel) the observation windows may be shorter and at a low altitude above the horizon, at dusk.
Two practical (and safety) highlights for those who plan to follow:
- Do not look for a comet close to the Sun with the eye/binoculars/telescope Without knowledge and dedicated equipment, the sun is dangerous to the eyes even when it seems to be “right near the horizon.”
- If there is indeed a “show,” it is expected to be more relevant. After the perihelion, as the comet moves away from the sun's glare and enters the twilight/early morning sky, according to orbit updates.
By the way, the comet Not expected to approach Earth In a way that puts us at risk. The follow-up article by Vito Technology (developer of Star Walk 2) indicates an order of magnitude of a minimum proximity of about0.56 astronomical units – about84 million km.
More of the topic in Hayadan:
