<\/p>\n The event will take place less than a month after C\/2024 E1 (Wierzchos)’s closest approach to the sun<\/a>, which occurred on Jan. 20, triggering a peak in brightness as heat from our star vaporized frozen materials that had been buried in the comet’s solid central nucleus. These gases fed the coma surrounding C\/2024 E1 (Wierzchos), which then reflected the sun’s light, increasing its visibility from Earth.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Will comet C\/2024 E1 (Wierzchos) be visible?<\/p>\n Comet Wierzchos currently has a brightness, or magnitude<\/a>, of about +8.2, placing it beyond the reach of the naked eye. For context, the unaided eye can spot objects with a brightness of +6.5 from a dark sky location. The lower the number, the brighter the object.<\/p>\n If the comet were in a favorable position, stargazers may have been able to spot it as a hazy patch of light through a pair of binoculars, or a backyard telescope. Sadly, comet Wierzchos will be travelling through the southern constellation of Grus on Feb. 17 and will appear less than 20 degrees \u2014 the width of two stacked fists at arm’s length \u2014 above the southwestern horizon at sunset for viewers in the U.S., before setting swiftly out of view.<\/p>\n Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Amazon)<\/p>\n We reckon the Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/a> is the best motorized telescope out there as it’s great for astrophotography, deep-space observing and it offers stunning detailed imagery. It is a little pricey but for what you get, it’s good value. For a more detailed look, you can check out our Celestron NexStar 8SE review<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each subsequent night will see the comet positioned slightly higher above the horizon at sundown. By early March, it will have passed into the faint constellation Eridanus \u2014 the “heavenly river” \u2014 and will have reached a more favorable altitude in the post-sunset sky. By then, its brightness will likely have dimmed beyond +8 as it races ever farther from the sun, according to the Comet Observation Database<\/a> (COBS) run by the Crni Vrh Observatory in Slovenia, which would still make it bright enough to be a viable telescopic target.<\/p>\n Stargazers looking to upgrade their gear should read our picks of the best telescopes<\/a> and binoculars for exploring the night sky<\/a>, while photographers should read our guide to imaging wandering comets<\/a>, along with our roundups of the top cameras<\/a> and lenses for astrophotography<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Celestron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/onajYkhMdBFzBAJKyo4JpC.jpg\")
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