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C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś)
Oort cloud comet From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) is a hyperbolic Oort cloud comet, discovered on 3 March 2024 by Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchoś. It will reach perihelion on 20 January 2026, when it should reach an apparent magnitude of around +8.5, which should make it visible in larger binoculars. It has an inbound orbital period of millions of years and it may be ejected from the Solar System. Cometary activity for C/2024 E1 has been driven by carbon dioxide (CO2). It will cross the celestial equator on 17 November 2025.[8] As of November 2025[update], the comet is about apparent magnitude 12.
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Observational history
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Discovery
During a routine Mt. Lemmon survey (G96) search on 3 March 2024, one of the scientists participating in the project, Kacper Wierzchoś, spotted a moving object in four, 30-second exposure images taken using an f/1.6 1.5 m (59 in) Cassegrain telescope, equipped with a 111.5 megapixel (10,560 x 10,560 pixel) CCD. It appeared as a 20th-magnitude object in the constellation Draco,[b] about 2 degrees north of the star ν Dra.[9] Since the discovery announcement, the Zwicky Transient Facility have reported that they obtained precovery images of the comet between 15 and 29 February 2024.[5] The comet was reported to have a condensed coma about 4 arcseconds in diameter and a tail about 6 arcseconds long.[1][2]
Follow-up observations
C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) was observed by the James Webb Space Telescope at a distance of 7.0 AU (1.05 billion km) from the Sun in early 2025, measuring its spectra and dust production rates in infrared light.[10] There were no emission features for carbon monoxide (CO) as the comet may have lost its near-surface CO early in its evolution before being ejected to the Oort Cloud. The activity was driven by carbon dioxide (CO2). When first discovered the comet was expected to brighten to apparent magnitude 5, which would have placed it near the naked eye limit, but is now expected to only brighten to apparent magnitude 8.5, which would make it 25 times fainter than original expectations.[11] By 25 August 2025, the comet was 2.64 AU (395 million km) from both the Sun and Earth. The comet is expected to pass about 2.3 degrees southwest near the globular cluster Messier 14 as seen from the night sky by 26 November 2025.[12]
The comet will come to perihelion on 20 January 2026 around 18:27 UT when it will be 0.566 AU (85 million km) from the Sun.[6][13] It will appear about 22 degrees from the Sun and will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Peak brightness is estimated to be around 8.5 magnitude,[13][11] meaning it could be visible through larger binoculars or a modest telescope. It will be about 1.352 AU (202.3 million km; 125.7 million mi) from Earth during perihelion.[11]
It will pass 0.191 AU (29 million km; 18 million mi) from Venus on 1 January 2026[14] and pass 1.0 AU from Earth on 17 February 2026.[11]
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Physical characteristics
Initial estimates of the size of its nucleus in September 2025 determined an upper limit of approximately 13.7 km (8.5 mi) in radius.[10] Follow-up studies in October 2025 based on its CO2 production rate revised the radii value around 2–10 km (1.2–6.2 mi), most likely indicating that it's much smaller than previously thought.[7]
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