{
  "id": 3524985,
  "title": "Comet 220P McNaught puts on an encore performance",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/comet-220p-mcnaught-puts-on-an-encore-performance",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T14:20:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-comet-220p-mcnaught-encore.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Astronomy was quite active in the last month, even with an eclipse season consisting of a total solar eclipse on August 12 and a deep partial lunar eclipse on August 28. Amidst this, an outbound comet named 220P/McNaught has managed to persist in the dawn sky, defying expectations. This recurring comet, discovered by Robert McNaught in 2004 from the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, has a 5.5-year orbit and is classified as a Jupiter-family comet. Its closest approach to the sun, or perihelion, occurred on June 14, 2026, when it was 1.6 Astronomical Units (AU) away from the sun, beyond Mars' orbit.\n\nThe comet is currently making its way towards Earth, reaching its closest point on October 12, at a distance of 1.043 AU. Astronomers have been particularly intrigued by recent eruptions from the normally faint comet, which significantly boosted its brightness. In early June, an outburst made the comet 10 magnitudes brighter, an increase equated to an 8,000-fold rise. Another notable spike occurred in early August, enhancing its brightness by 7 magnitudes. This comet seems to be following a pattern of brightening before reaching its closest approach to Earth, and there is a possibility of another outburst leading up to its closest Earth passage in October.\n\nComet 220P reached magnitude +8 in June and is still at magnitude +9 in late August, showing promise of further brightening. Its behavior has been compared to another active comet, 10P/Tempel, which also appears to exhibit diverse characteristics from night to night. Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett is capturing a series of images documenting the comet's journey through the summer, highlighting its varying appearance.\n\nThe comet's visibility will be between the stars Omicron Tauri and Lambda Ceti, and it will loop in and out of the Circlet of Pisces asterism through the remainder of 2026, circling the magnitude +2.5 star Alpha Ceti (Menkar). This positions Comet 220P to be visible in the predawn hours for Northern Hemisphere observers throughout August, September, and October. Typically, a comet becomes visually interesting to observers when it reaches magnitude +10 and of public interest when it attains magnitude +6 or brighter. While binocular comets like 220P are typically challenging to view, they can be easily observed with smart telescopes like the SeeStar or Dwarf Lab's Dwarf Mini.\n\nComet 220P will reach its furthest point from the sun, or aphelion, on March 12, 2031, and the next perihelion apparition is expected in late 2031. The question remains whether a breakup might occur before the comet departs the dawn sky in late 2026. Despite an otherwise predictable universe, comets seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to outbursts and variations in brightness. Observers are encouraged to keep an eye on Comet 220P McNaught throughout the fall as its final act for 2026 may yet unfold.",
  "summary": "It has been a busy month for astronomy. In the midst of an eclipse season bookended by the total solar eclipse on Aug. 12 and the deep partial lunar eclipse coming up this week on Aug. 28, an outbound comet hanging high in the dawn sky just refuses to die: 220P/McNaught.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Universe Today",
        "title": "Comet 220P McNaught Puts On An Encore Performance",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/comet-220p-mcnaught-puts-on-an-encore-performance",
        "published": "2026-08-25T17:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}