Overview
- Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS), a newly found sungrazer, reaches its closest point to the Sun around April 4–5, and it could become visible to the naked eye if it stays intact.
- In New York City, the comet is expected to be highest in the sky from April 5–8, with the best chance to spot it by looking toward the southwest at dusk.
- Sungrazers skim within about a million miles of the Sun, where intense heat and gravity can either make them flare bright or tear them apart, which is why forecasts stress uncertainty.
- A separate object, Comet C/2025 R3 (PanSTARRS), should be easiest to see in mid to late April and will pass at roughly 44 million miles from Earth, likely needing binoculars or a small telescope.
- The Lyrid meteor shower peaks April 21–22 with up to about 20 meteors per hour under dark skies, and viewing improves after 10 p.m. with a clear, wide horizon.