Comet C/2026 C1 (Tsuchinshan)
Taken by José J. Chambó on May 11, 2026 @
Valencia, Spain
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Details:
Comet C/2026 C1 (Tsuchinshan), imaged on May 11, 2026, was shining at about magnitude 18, still extremely faint but showing a slight brightening compared to my April image, while remaining morphologically unchanged.
The comet continues to display a very small and highly condensed coma, almost stellar in appearance at first glance. Activity remains modest, although the subtle increase in brightness confirms that the object is still slowly evolving as it moves across the galaxy-rich star fields of Virgo.
This image also captured an interesting conjunction with the galaxy UGC 07239, visible just below the comet. This faint 14th-magnitude spiral galaxy lies about 57 million light-years away and belongs to the Virgo Cluster, a vast concentration containing roughly 2,000 galaxies. The field is filled with faint diffuse patches: distant galaxies quietly emerging among the background stars.
In the end, the image revealed something more interesting than just another faint comet: a small icy visitor crossing, purely by perspective, in front of millions of light-years of universe.
C/2026 C1 (Tsuchinshan) @ 2026-May-11, 22:01 UT
Total Mag= 18.2 [aperture 22"], Dia.= 0.4' (Tycho Tracker)
TS-Photon 8" f/4, Atik 383L+. L=41x60s RGB=1x120s, FOV=29x22'(crop), N:Up E:Left. OAV, Valencia (Spain). J. Chambó
Photographer's website:
https://cometografia.es
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