Recently discovered comet to make rare close pass by the sun

A newly discovered comet will make an exceptionally close approach to the sun this weekend, potentially creating a spectacular celestial event, according to astrophysicist Knut Jørgen Røed Ødegaard, Dagbladet reports.

The comet, named C/2026 A1 (MAPS), will pass just 162,000 kilometers above the sun’s surface on Saturday, April 4, at 16:23 Norwegian time—roughly one-third the distance between Earth and the moon. Discovered on January 13, it belongs to the Kreutz family of sun-grazing comets, which have produced some of history’s brightest comets over the past 2,000 years.

Røed Ødegaard explains that the comet’s proximity to the sun could trigger intense vaporization, dramatically increasing its brightness—if its nucleus survives. Estimated at around 400 meters in diameter, similar to the Lovejoy comet that survived a comparable solar encounter in 2011, it may even become visible in daylight.

From Norway, the comet could be most visible on April 5 and 6 (Easter Sunday and Monday), appearing a few minutes after sunset, slightly to the left of where the sun disappeared. However, the outcome remains uncertain: the nucleus might disintegrate before, during, or after the pass, leaving only a fading dust cloud.

Images from the SOHO solar observatory are expected to confirm the comet’s fate shortly after the encounter.

Photo: NASA/Esa/CSA JWST MIRI; Qicheng Zhang et al. / Handout / NTB