C/2016 A1 (MAPS) was
a prominent sungrazing comet discovered in January 2026
when it was about 2 AU from the Sun.
At its perihelion on April 4, 2026, at about 160,000 km
from the surface of the Sun, it disintegrated,
which is not unusual for such comets.
Its aphelion was 307 AU, with
an orbital period on the order of 1700-1900 years.
Its eccentricity was 0.99996,
making it a near-parabolic comet.
It was a Kreutz comet, a comet family that includes most
known sungrazing comets.
An early determination found its diameter could be as much as 2 km,
but a later one found it to be less than half a km.
Anticipation was it could be bright enough to be
seen without a telescope,
but the Sun's glare made it hard to view.