Icy Comet Wierzchos Skims the Sun, Promises a Clearer February View

Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) will reach perihelion today, skimming about 84.6 million km from the Sun and brightening to roughly magnitude +8.1, visible only with binoculars or a telescope. It won’t be naked-eye visible this pass, but it’s expected to return in February for a better chance to be seen from Earth, with a perigee around 93 million miles (1 AU) and viewing opportunities shifting from the Southern Hemisphere this month to the Northern Hemisphere in mid-February after sunset. Discovered in 2024 by the Catalina Sky Survey and likely originating in the Oort Cloud, JWST observations have studied its spectrum; the comet poses no threat.