Astro Bob: Comet MAPS Faces Moment of Truth

Curt Nason: Comet MAPS - boom or bust

On the morning of April 4, perhaps as you are reading this, a 400-metre-wide comet is rounding the sun at a death-defying distance of 160,000 kilometres, and astronomers are monitoring its progress to see if it survives. Will it be a dud, a fairly bright comet for binoculars, or the next spectacular Great Comet of the night sky?

Astro Bob: Comet MAPS faces moment of truth

In case you’re not familiar, a comet belonging to the Kreutz sungrazer family was discovered on Jan. 13 by a group of astronomers in Chile. Named C/2026 A1 (MAPS) or just Comet MAPS, the comet has been closing in on the sun since discovery. On Saturday, it skimmed just 100,000 miles from the blazing solar surface. As I write this, I don’t know whether this small, icy body — only about 1,300 feet across — has survived the intense heat and gravita…

Rare Sungrazing Comet Faces Critical Moment as It Approaches the Sun

A rare astronomical event is currently unfolding as a sungrazing comet makes its perilous approach toward the sun, entering a phase that scientists describe as both critical and unpredictable. The comet, identified in recent observational cycles, is now nearing perihelion—the closest point in its orbit to the sun—where extreme solar forces will determine its fate. Astronomers across the world are closely monitoring this event in real time, as su…