See beautiful comet as it nears its closest approach to Earth

 

Comet C/2024 E1 has been photographed as it nears Earth - but even at its closest, it will still be 150 million kilometres away. Image courtesy of Ian Griffin

Joel Kontinen

This beautiful streak of light is comet C/2024 E1 hurtling through the southern constellation Grus. It was first spotted in 2024 and is thought to have originated from the Oort cloud, a region of icy rocks at the edge of the solar system, far beyond Pluto. The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on 17 February – when it will still be almost 150 million kilometres away

The Oord cloud is a system that scientist haven’t recognised, it is thought to hold millions of comets.

Source:

New Scientist 2026 See beautiful comet as it nears its closest approach to Earth | New Scientist 11 February