Although faint, you can pick up C/2024 E1 Wierzchoś with an 8-inch scope, passing close to Iota Coronae Borealis in the evening sky.
Comet Wierzchoś slides near the Northern Crown this month, closely approaching Iota CrB midmonth. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
- Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchoś, currently at magnitude 14, is observable with an 8-inch telescope.
- Optimal viewing occurs near Iota Coronae Borealis, using the star as a reference point for locating the comet at a specified angular distance (initially 0.5°, then shifting slightly over several days).
- Observation is facilitated by the absence of a moon in the evening sky, allowing for increased darkness.
- Astrophotography is suggested as an alternative method for detection, given its superior light-gathering capability compared to visual observation.
Now roughly 14th magnitude, Comet C/2024 E1 Wierzchoś is ripe for spotting with an 8-inch scope. With no Moon in the evening sky, darkness is on your side; and tonight and tomorrow night, the comet lies just 0.5° from 5th-magnitude Iota (ι) Coronae Borealis, the easternmost star in the curved Northern Crown.
Around 9 P.M. local daylight time, Corona Borealis is still more than 40° high in the west. Comet Wierzchoś floats in the southwestern region of the constellation, some 6.4° directly above magnitude 2.2 Alphecca (Alpha [α] CrB) as it’s setting. You can identify Iota by eye from a dark site, then center it in your eyepiece to locate Wierzchoś about ¼° to the star’s northwest, visible in the same telescopic field of view.
Tomorrow, the same technique for finding the comet will work, only look for Wierzchoś the same distance (¼°) south-southwest of Iota. By the 17th, Wierzchoś is ¾° south of the star, and just over a full degree south-southeast of Iota on the 18th. You can follow the comet’s progress using the chart above. If you can’t spot the comet visually, astrophotos may pick it up, as they can collect much more light than your eye.
Sunrise: 6:41 A.M.
Sunset: 7:08 P.M.
Moonrise: —
Moonset: 3:57 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waning crescent (30%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.