Atacama amateurs spot a 1,900-year comet 81 days before its perihelion

Four amateur astronomers running a remote 11-inch Schmidt telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert discovered C/2026 A1 (MAPS), a Kreutz sungrazer, on January 13, 2026—81 days before it would pass near the Sun. Its last inner-solar-system visit likely occurred in the late Roman era (roughly 1,700–1,886 years ago, with a possible sighting in 363 AD). The comet likely disintegrated during its close solar approach on April 4, 2026, but the find demonstrates that dedicated amateurs can catch long-period comets early, well before professional surveys.