Color image of comet C/2015 V2 (Johnson), obtained on 2017 May 6 (2h12-2h16UT). Exposure time 240 seconds. Copyright © 2017 by H. Mikuz, Črni Vrh Observatory.
Welcome to COBS!
Comet Observation database (COBS) was developed in 2010 and is maintained by Crni Vrh Observatory. It is a unique service offering comet observers to submit, display and analyse comet data in a single location and is opened to comet observers worldwide. Registered observers may submit the observations using a simple web-based form which will store their observations into an SQL database and display them in ICQ format.
Data stored in COBS database is freely available to everyone with respect to our data usage policy, and can be analysed with COBS online tools or exported and further used in other analysis software and publications.
Database currently contains more than 230000 comet observations of more than 1200 different comets and represents the largest available database of comet observations.
Amateur comet observers can make a useful contribution to science by observing comets and submitting their observations to the COBS, as the professional astronomers do not have the time nor the telescopes needed to gather such data. We encourage comet observers worldwide to submit their observations and contribute to the COBS database.
Light-curve of C/2015 V2 (Johnson) (Jun 12, 2017).
Recent observations
Type Comet name Obs date Mag Dia DC Tail Observer
V 2015V2 2017 06 24.46 8.4 8 3 PEA
V 2015ER61 2017 06 24.33 8.9 4 3/ GOI
V 71 2017 06 23.06 10.3 4 4/ GOI
V 2015V2 2017 06 23.05 7.7 12 3 GOI
V 2015V2 2017 06 23.04 7.8 10 3/ GOI
V 2015ER61 2017 06 22.76 9.3 4.1 5 10.5m260 WYA
V 29 2017 06 22.75 13.5 1 2 WYA
V 217 2017 06 22.75 13.3 0.8 5/ WYA
V 41 2017 06 22.74 11.1 3.5 2/ WYA
V 71 2017 06 22.48 10.4 3.1 5/ WYA
V 65 2017 06 22.47 13.9 0.8 2 WYA
V 2015V2 2017 06 22.46 7.7 13 3 WYA
V 2015V2 2017 06 22.12 7.8 10 3/ GOI
V 2015V2 2017 06 21.88 8.7 3 3 KWI
V 41 2017 06 21.54 10.4 5.4 2 WYA
Comet Observing Planner
Current comet magnitudes (May 31)
Comet Magnitude Trend Observable When visible Johnson (2015 V2) 7.5 fade 50 N to 55 S all night PanSTARRS (2015 ER61) 8 fade 45 N to 65 S morning 41P/Tuttle-Giacobinni-Kresak 10.5 fade 50 N to 55 S all night 71P/Clark 11 steady 40 N to 90 S all night Lovejoy (2017 E4) 12 fade Solar conjunction PanSTARRS (2016 R2) 13 ? bright Poor elongation 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 13 ? varies 45 N to 80 S morning 65P/Gunn 13.5 steady 30 N to 65 S best evening PanSTARRS (2015 O1) 14 steady 50 N to 30 S all night 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 14 fade 15 S to 30 S early morning
List of comets maintained by Jonathan Shanklin at http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~jds.
Latest news
New Comet: C/2017 K4 (ATLAS)
CBET nr. 4397, issued on 2017, June 01, announces the discovery of a comet (magnitude ~17) by the "Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System" (ATLAS) Team on CCD exposures taken on May 26.5 with the ATLAS 0.5-m f/2.0 Schmidt telescope at Haleakala. The new comet has been designated C/2017 K4 (ATLAS).
COBS maintenance downtime 17.05.2017!
Due to a COBS servers system upgrade, we will have some website downtime on Wednesday 17.05.2017.
Close Approach Comets
Comets are some of the most interesting objects in the solar system. Water that filled the ancient oceans of Earth might have been delivered by comets. And there is growing evidence that many comets (as well as some primitive asteroids) contain molecules key to life. NASA has sent space probes to travel hundreds of millions of miles to study these icy interlopers from the outer solar system.
Comet 67P full of surprises: Growing fractures, collapsing cliffs and rolling boulders
Images returned from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission indicate the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was a very active place during its most recent trip through the solar system, says a new study.
New CCD photometry software keys added
COBS now includes the option to select Astrometrica version 4.10 and comphot photometry software when submitting CCD observations.