C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) - DISINTEGRATED
ephemeris	date	magn	radius	delta	ra	dec	elong	phase	PA
Perihelion	20 Jan 2026	7.2	0.566 AU	1.352 AU	20h49m	-39°52'	21.5°	39.6°	154°
Nearest approach	17 Feb 2026	8.0	0.824 AU	1.012 AU	01h15m	-31°26'	48.6°	64.2°	102°
Disintegration	12 Mar 2026	9.9	1.189 AU	1.278 AU	03h34m	-02°34'	61.6°	47.3°	87°
Today	17 Sep 2026	-	3.757 AU	4.315 AU	08h46m	+33°32'	50.5°	11.9°	299°

The interactive orbit chart above shows the comet's path through the solar system and its position at the given date. Green and blue lines are shown perpendicular to the ecliptic plane: Green if the path is above the ecliptic plane, blue if it is below. (Left-click and drag to rotate the view; Right-click and drag to move the view; Use scroll wheel to zoom in our out.)

Light curve

The light curve chart below shows the estimated development of the comet's magnitude. Blue and black dots are visual and photometric CCD observations from COBS. This lightcurve is being recalculated every 6 hours based on the available COBS/MPC observations (currently 8.7 + 5 log[∆] + 8.8 log[r]). An additional green curve is displayed when an increase in apparent brightness is expected due to forward scattering of sunlight, which occurs when a dust-rich comet is located between the Earth and the Sun. (See Marcus 2007)

Charts

The all-sky chart below shows the path of the comet over the same period as the light curve. The comet's current position is marked yellow.

The following chart shows the short-term path of the comet in a field of view that is optimized for (~10x50) binoculars and finderscopes.

Orbital elements

The orbital elements of C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) are:

    e (Eccentricity)                : 1.0003790
    q (Perihelion distance)         : 0.5659160
    i (Inclination)                 : 75.21370
    Ω (Longitude of ascending node) : 108.07340
    ω (Argument of perihelion)      : 243.62150
    L (Longitude of perihelion)     : 135.30426
    B (Latitude of perihelion)      : -60.02128
    T (Time of perihelion passage)  : 2461061.30510

    Epoch                           : 2026 Sep 16
    Reference                       : MPEC 2026-O98

    Classification(s):              : Nearly isotropic; New (a > 10000 AU)

Ephemerides

Date       Time       RA (2000)    DEC (2000)    delta   radius  elong  phase   PA    magn
2026-09-16 00:00 UT   08 45 39.6   +33 27 52     4.316    3.745   49.7   11.8   299   16.9 
2026-09-17 00:00 UT   08 46 26.8   +33 32 07     4.315    3.757   50.5   11.9   299   16.9 
2026-09-17 01:12 UT   08 46 29.1   +33 32 20     4.315    3.757   50.5   11.9   299   16.9 
2026-09-18 00:00 UT   08 47 13.2   +33 36 26     4.314    3.768   51.3   12.0   298   16.9 
2026-09-19 00:00 UT   08 47 59.0   +33 40 50     4.312    3.780   52.1   12.1   298   17.0 
2026-09-20 00:00 UT   08 48 44.2   +33 45 17     4.311    3.791   52.9   12.2   298   17.0 
2026-09-21 00:00 UT   08 49 28.7   +33 49 50     4.309    3.803   53.8   12.3   298   17.0 
2026-09-22 00:00 UT   08 50 12.5   +33 54 26     4.307    3.814   54.6   12.4   298   17.0 
2026-09-23 00:00 UT   08 50 55.6   +33 59 07     4.305    3.826   55.4   12.5   297   17.0 
2026-09-24 00:00 UT   08 51 38.1   +34 03 53     4.303    3.837   56.2   12.6   297   17.0 
2026-09-25 00:00 UT   08 52 19.8   +34 08 43     4.301    3.849   57.1   12.6   297   17.0 
2026-09-26 00:00 UT   08 53 00.8   +34 13 38     4.298    3.860   57.9   12.7   297   17.0 
2026-09-27 00:00 UT   08 53 41.2   +34 18 38     4.296    3.872   58.7   12.8   297   17.0 

    Terminology:
            
    delta:  distance between comet and earth in AU
    radius: distance between comet and sun in AU
    magn:   magnitude (brightness) estimate    
    ra:     right ascension in hours (24h = 360deg)
    dec:    declination in degrees
    elong:  elongation in degrees (angle sun-earth-comet)    
    phase:  phase angle in degrees (angle sun-comet-earth)        
    AU:     Astronomical Unit (mean distance between earth and sun: 149597870.7 km      
    

Orbital elements usually provided by the MPC (Minor Planet Center).
Observations contributed by observers worldwide, via COBS (Comet Observation Database) or the MPC (Minor Planet Center)
Calculations by a modified version of AAPlus, a C# implementation of the AA+ project by PJ Naughter from the algorithms presented in the book "Astronomical Algorithms" by Jean Meeus.
NGC2000 dso catalog and star labels from VizieR as provided by the Strasbourg astronomical Data Center.
Tycho2 catalog from the ESO archive.