Not to mention, NASA\u2019s<\/a> first mission in over 50 years to send astronauts into orbit around the Moon<\/a>\u2014the Artemis II mission\u2014is slated to launch Wednesday night.<\/p>\n FINAL PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR THE LAUNCH OF NASA’S ARTEMIS II SPACE MISSION<\/a><\/p>\n And the excitement isn\u2019t over yet\u2014more celestial treats are on the way.<\/p>\n Between April 5\u20138, a sungrazer comet is expected to grace the New York City sky\u2014if it survives its close pass by the Sun<\/a>, it could potentially put on a dazzling show visible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n APRIL SKYWATCHING GUIDE: SEE THE FIRST FULL MOON OF SPRING, SPOT MERCURY, MARVEL AT A METEOR SHOWER AND MORE<\/a><\/p>\n According to NASA, a sungrazer comet can be defined as a distinct type of comet<\/a> that passes extremely close to the Sun at its closest point, known as perihelion.<\/p>\n FILE: An image of the Sun from NASA’s SOHO spacecraft showing a sungrazing comet highlighted in an inset box.<\/p>\n And a comet is classified as a sungrazer if it approaches within roughly 850,000 miles of the Sun at perihelion, with some coming even closer\u2014sometimes just a few thousand miles away.<\/p>\n ‘FIREBALL SEASON’ EXPLAINED: WHY METEORS ARE LIGHTING UP SKIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY<\/a><\/p>\n This particular sungrazer headed across the sky this April is called C\/2026 A1 (MAPS), sweeping significantly close to the Sun, roughly less than a million miles, according to EarthSky.org.<\/p>\n NASA notes that because these comets get so close to the Sun, it is exposed to intense solar radiation and strong gravitational forces, which put significant stress on it.<\/p>\n THE BEST CELESTIAL EVENTS IN 2026 YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS<\/a><\/p>\n Hence, why there is the possibility comet C\/2026 A1 (MAPS) might not make it to skywatchers’ views.\u00a0<\/p>\n Specifically, EarthSky.org reports that the comet\u2019s perihelion will occur on April 4\u20135 and notes that “as of mid-March, the comet is brightening as it approaches the inner solar system.”<\/p>\n It had brightened to around magnitude 10 at that time, and models for April suggest it could reach a brightness between +1 and -2 magnitude.<\/p>\n Janet Ivey, CEO and founder of Janet\u2019s Planet, joins FOX Weather ahead of the Artemis II launch scheduled for Wednesday night, as it remains at 80% of its planned launch time. Ivey notes that she believes the power of Artemis II can offer <\/p>\n For reference, magnitude is a scale astronomers use to measure how bright a celestial object appears from Earth, with lower numbers representing brighter objects<\/a> and higher numbers representing fainter objects.\u00a0<\/p>\n HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW AS ARTEMIS II IS SET TO LAUNCH WEDNESDAY<\/a><\/p>\n That said, comet C\/2026 A1 (MAPS) is shaping up to be remarkably bright, meaning it has the potential to be seen by the naked eye\u2014provided it survives its close pass to the Sun, ErathSky.org said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some models suggest that by early April<\/a>, it could reach a brightness comparable to that of Venus<\/a>, the brightest planet.<\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GHX5fzgWoAARle7.jpeg\")
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