An impressive “green comet” the size of a small city will be lighting up the night sky as it approaches Earth next week. Experts predict that the giant ice ball will soon be ejected from the solar system forever, destined to drift through interstellar space like the “alien” comet 3I/ATLAS.
The new comet, named C/2024 E1 (Wieszczosz), was discovered in March 2024 by Polish astronomer Kakper Wieszczosz. He spotted the icy object sailing toward us with his 4.9-foot (1.5-meter) telescope at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona. The comet was then observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which detected large amounts of carbon dioxide in its coma, a cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet’s icy shell.
Initial analysis of JWST data suggests that Comet Wieszczosz’s core has a diameter of about 8.5 miles (13.7 kilometers), which is about two-thirds the length of Manhattan and about four times the width of the island. However, new research, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, suggests that this may be an overestimation.
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Comet Wierszczosz originates from the Oort cloud, a vast reservoir of comets and other icy objects that lurk near the outer edge of the solar system, and is hyperbolic in shape. That is, it has an open, flat orbit and does not orbit the sun repeatedly. Researchers speculate that this may be the first time that an asteroid has ventured into the inner solar system.
Some researchers believe it has been slowly falling toward the sun for 1 million to 3 million years, but it’s difficult to say for sure. However, according to Spaceweather.com, most experts agree that the gravitational kick from the current solar slingshot will launch it from our cosmic neighborhood into interstellar space forever.
The eccentric iceball recently passed its point of closest approach to its host star, known as perihelion, on January 20, bringing it about 52 million miles (84 million kilometers) from the Sun’s surface, Live Science’s sister site Space.com previously reported.
It will soon make its closest approach to Earth on Tuesday (February 17), about 94 million miles (151 million kilometers) from Earth, or about the same distance as the sun.
go, go, go away
Researchers say it could be decades or even centuries before comet Wierszczosz officially leaves the solar system. But once that happens, it will spend millions, if not billions, of years drifting through the Milky Way, passing sporadically through other star systems along the way.
This is exactly what happened to the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. This comet made headlines last year after it barreled through the inner solar system and was probably kicked out by its host star long before the Sun was born.
3I/ATLAS was first discovered in July, reached perihelion in late October, and passed Earth in mid-December. During this period, the comet displayed a number of unusual features, leading some scientists to controversially claim that it could be an alien spacecraft, despite overwhelming evidence that it was a natural comet.
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It is currently on its way back from our solar system and may pass through many other star systems, just as comet Wierszczosz will eventually pass through.
How to read C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś)
Since Comet Wierszczosz passed perihelion, it has gotten noticeably brighter and grown a long tail of gas and dust, allowing astrophotographers to take stunning pictures of the comet hurtling across the night sky. Austrian astrophotographer Gerald Lehmann captured one of the best photos of an ice globe from a night sky reserve in Namibia on January 26th (see above).
Many of these photographs, including Lehmann’s, show the comet’s coma glowing green. This unusual hue may be related to its high carbon content, as seen in previous comets, but the exact cause of the color has not been reported by researchers.
Emerald-colored ice balls don’t get bright enough to be visible to the naked eye. However, it’s easy to spot if you have a decent telescope or stargazing binoculars.
It will be visible from the Northern Hemisphere over the next few weeks, and will be best seen over the southwest horizon as it passes through the constellation Corina after sunset, according to EarthSky.com. However, it is easier to spot from the southern hemisphere.
For more information on when and how you can see the comet for yourself, visit TheSkyLive.com.
Following the excitement of last year’s 3I/ATLAS, Comet Lemon, and Comet SWAN, 2026 looks set to be another bumper year for comet enthusiasts.
In recent weeks, astronomers have discovered a new “sungraser” comet named C/2026 A1 (MAPS). The comet could become bright enough to be seen with the naked eye during the daytime in early April, if it survives its extremely close approach around the sun.
Another giant ice ball called C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS) may also become visible without a telescope as it approaches both the Sun and Earth in late April.
With the help of the newly-operated Vera C. Rubin Observatory, some researchers hope that even more hidden objects may soon be found, potentially containing the solar system’s next interstellar visitor.
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