C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)

C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)

Discovery
Discovered by	Kacper Wierzchoś
Discovery site	Mount Lemmon
Discovery date	3 March 2024
Designations
MPC designation	C/2024 E1
Alternative designations	CK24E010
Orbital characteristics
Epoch	21 December 2024
Earliest precovery date	15 February 2024
Perihelion	0.5656 AU (84.61 million km)
Semi-major axis	>10,000 AU
Eccentricity	1.000031
Inclination	75.237°
Longitude of ascending node	108.086°
Argument of periapsis	243.647°
Longitude of perihelion	135.306°
Earth MOID	1.011 AU (151.2 million km)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	unknown

C/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) is an Oort-cloud non-periodic comet, discovered on 3 March 2024 by Polish astronomer Kacper Wierzchoś. It will reach perihelion on 20 January 2026, when it could have an apparent magnitude of +5.

Discovery

During a routine Mt. Lemmon survey (G96) search on 3 March 2024, one of the scientists participating in the project, Kacper Wierzchoś, spotted a moving object in four, 30-second exposure images taken using an f/1.6 1.5-metre (59 in) Cassegrain telescope, equipped with a 111.5 megapixel (10,560 x 10,560 pixel) CCD. It appeared in the constellation of Draco, about 2 degrees north of the star ν Draconis. To confirm cometary activity, he obtained three additional, 60-second images. The comet was reported to have a condensed 4 arcsec coma and a 6 arcsec tail.

Perihelion

The comet will approach perihelion on 20 January 2026 around 18 UT. It will appear about 21 degrees from the Sun and will be visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Peak brightness will reach approximately +5 magnitude, meaning it could be visible through binoculars. It will be about 1.351 au (202.1 million km, 125.6 million mi) from Earth.