# @outsidemagazine on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DWP3ojzDIy7
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/61046235-outsidemagazine-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/8c39141c64.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-24T01:00:21.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Outside Magazine (@outsidemagazine) — https://gondola.cc/outsidemagazine

## Caption

A vivid comet could soon adorn the evening sky. If it survives its early April approach toward the sun, the cosmic orb could even become visible to the naked eye, and possibly as bright as Venus.

Yet a lot has to go right for this to happen, and astronomers are crossing their fingers that it does because Comet C/2026 A1 (MAPS) is a special type of snowball.

It’s known as a sungrazer, a term used for any comet that gets especially close to the sun (within 850,000 miles). Comet MAPS, named for a group of French astronomers who helped find it in January, will get as close as 465,000 miles from the sun; that’s roughly the round-trip distance from Earth to the moon.

This proximity could spark an incredible early April comet show. Or, it could end in disappointment, with the cluster breaking apart as it nears our bright star.

Tap the link in our bio for the full story. 

✍️ : bystephanievermillion

#getoutside #cometshow #comet

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## Tags

getoutside, cometshow, comet

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