The Sky Today on Friday, August 22: Comet Wierzchoś passes planetary nebula NGC 6058

Although faint, Comet Wierzchoś can be picked up by larger scopes as it passes near the planetary nebula NGC 6058 this evening.
By | Published: August 22, 2025

The path of Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) in August 2025
Comet Wierzchoś brightens night by night as it slowly loops inward, passing 11th magnitude in September and 9th magnitude in late October. Credit: Astronomy: Roen Kelly
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś), located in the constellation Hercules, is currently observable several hours after sunset, reaching an altitude of 60° by 9:30 PM local daylight time.
  • The comet's magnitude is approximately 14, requiring larger telescopes (8-10 inches or greater) for observation, though it is gradually brightening.
  • Nearby celestial objects for observation include the magnitude 3.5 Eta Herculis and magnitude 4.6 Chi Herculis stars, and NGC 6058, a planetary nebula with a magnitude of 13.
  • NGC 6058, approximately 7.5° west of Eta Herculis or 2.8° southeast of Chi Herculis, appears as an evenly illuminated glow in smaller scopes and a halo-like structure in larger scopes (14 inches or more).
Key takeaways sponsored by The Space Store

With no Moon in the evening sky, it’s time to check in with Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś), now in Hercules and visible for several hours after sunset.

By 9:30 P.M. local daylight time, Wierzchoś is still 60° high in the west. You’ll find it about 9.5° west of magnitude 3.5 Eta (η) Herculis, one of the four stars that make up the Keystone asterism. A closer signpost is magnitude 4.6 Chi (χ) Her, which tonight stands just less than 2° north of Wierzchoś.

This comet is currently still a target for larger scopes (8 to 10 inches or more), glowing faintly around 14th magnitude, though it is slowly brightening as it draws closer to the Sun, due to reach perihelion early next year. 

There’s plenty else to observe in this region while you search for the comet, including NGC 6058, a planetary nebula some 7.5° west of Eta Her, along the path you’ll trace from this star to the comet. Alternatively, it’s just a short 2.8° jump southeast of Chi Her. NGC 6058 is a small nebula about 40” across that glows at magnitude 13, slightly brighter than the comet’s current brightness. The largest scopes (14 inches or more) will reveal a halo-like structure surrounding the nebula’s 14th-magnitude central star; smaller scopes will show it more as an evenly illuminated glow, though perhaps with a slightly brighter center.

Sunrise: 6:18 A.M.
Sunset: 7:46 P.M.
Moonrise: 5:28 A.M.
Moonset: 7:43 P.M.
Moon Phase: New
*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. 

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