Early April can be an exciting time for sky watchers, as two comets take center stage: R3 Pan-STARRS and sungrazer A1 MMAPS.
All eyes are on the inner solar system in April 2026, when two comets reach perihelion. Another, Comet R3 Pan-STARRS we have known about since last year. Another one, the A1 ‘MAPS of sungrazer has just been found to be the first comet of 2026 and it presents us with a big question: will it survive its stormy path on Saturday 4 April, or will it evaporate like the majority of sungrazers before it?
Comet A1 MAPS from March 22. Credit: Michael Jaeger/Gerald Rhemann.
Update on Comet A1 MAPS
We previously wrote for Universe Today about the back story of comet maps A1). The discovery drew the attention of astronomers and sky watchers, as it now holds the distinction of being the most distant object discovered so far, more than 2 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun.
Since January, the comet has brightened, stopped, brightened again, and is currently sitting at +6 magnitude and ‘bullet bright’, streaking across the evening sky as a tight catch below bright Venus. Measurements that include measurements made by retracing the JWST approach to the comet place the A1 MMAPS nucleus at 0.4 kilometers or less, on the small end against famous solar eclipses of the past, such as the 1965 Ikeya-Seki.
Comet A1 ‘MAPS’ track projected by coronagraph view of CCOR-1 and SOHO. Credit: Qicheng Zhang.
What to Expect at Perihelion
Of course, the numbers are not on Comet A1 MAPS’ side. The comet reaches perihelion on Saturday, December 4 at 14:23 Universal Time (UT)/10:23 AM EDT, just 101,000 kilometers (~162,000 kilometers) from the surface of the Sun, still connecting to the inner sun. That’s less than half the distance from Earth to the Moon. The comet actually passes behind the Sun as seen from Earth on the 4th from 11:50-to-13:20 UT, then it circles and crosses (transits) in front of the sun’s disk from 13:55-to-15:20 UT, during perihelion. Maybe we’ll get a good look at SOHO next to see what’s left of the comet.
Comet A1 MAPS comes out in April (assuming it survives(!). Credit: Starry Night.
We have two possibilities for Comet A1 MAPS, each with its own possible outcomes:
Level 1: division at perihelion. My money is on this one, though I’d love to be wrong. In this case, like the demise of Comet ISON back in 2013, the last few days before perihelion will provide our last view of the comet.
Sub-scenario: In the fizzle zone, a ‘headless comet’ survives for a while before disappearing from view. W3 Lovejoy introduced a similar program in 2011-2012.
Drama 2: The comet survives perihelion and continues to be a moderately bright evening comet. Of course, forward scattering can work to its advantage, as we see the comet’s cycle about to begin in early April.
Sub-scenario: The comet survives and continues to be a ‘noon companion’. It’s rare, but it’s happened before. In this case, we will have a high level of the comet next week, which competes with Venus low in the western part of the evening. Remember, the dust tail for Comet A1 MAPS would have preceded it as it exited the solar system. This option would be a great opportunity for the general public to see the nature of the comet for themselves. Again, it’s a long time, but it’s possible.
A1 MAPS SOHO trip. Credit: Bum-Suk Yeom.
A2 ‘MAPS’ enters the SOHO LASCO C2 imaging scene on April 2. As a first demonstration, we had Kreutz’s little “sungrazer” on the last day of March:
The doomsday scientist jumps ahead of the Comet A1 maps. Credit: NASA/ESA/SOHO.
Artemis II astronomers would also have a good view of the comet, if they were behind the Moon at the time.
It will cover most of the inner solar system.[image or embed]— Tony Dunn (@tony873004.bsky.social) March 29, 2026 at 2:19 PM
A1 MAPS is a member of the Kreutz group of sungrazers, a family of comets that split from a long-ago ancestor. Of course, there are more of us out there, waiting to be discovered. Around 1,800 years old, A1′ MAPS could be a sign of more to come, years or decades from now.
Check out Nicolas Lefaudeux’s in-depth review of Comet A1 MAPS.
Next, the unrelated comet C/2025 R3 Pan-STARRS brightens earlier than expected, for its April display.
Discovered by the Pan-STARRS all-sky survey on the night of September 8th, 2025, R3 Pan-STARRS is in a ~170,000 year orbit around the sun, destined to be ejected from the solar system. The comet was discovered just in time to make our list of the top comets of 2026.
Currently the binocular comet is at +6th magnitude, just above +0.5 magnitude near Earth approaching a week after perihelion on April 26th, but also only 6 degrees from the Sun at that time.
Expectations in April
The time to track R3 PanSTARRS is now. We have about a week to see Comet R3 PanSTARRS about 10-15 degrees above the eastern horizon at dawn crossing the Great Square of Pegasus, just before sunset.
‘Hang time,’ for comet R3 Pan-STARRS in the morning from April 1 to 21. Credit: Starry Night.
R3 Pan-STARRS also transmits SOHO observations from April 23-26.
After the perihelion in May is an even more embarrassing time for the comet, as it favors the observers of the southern world and crosses the constellation of Eridanus to Orion, it goes back around the sun to Lepus the Hare.
One thing is for sure: we will be looking at the SOHO observations this week, to see if Comet A1 MAPS will survive. If it does, it could be an interesting week for early birders, Earthbound and more.
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