Comet Observation database (COBS) saw first light in 2010 and is maintained by Crni Vrh Observatory. It is a free and unique service for comet observers worldwide which allows submission, display and analysis of comet data in a single location.
Amateur astronomers can make valuable contributions to comet science by observing comets and submitting their observations to COBS as professional astronomers typically do not have telescope time required to acquire regular observations. We therefore encourage comet observers worldwide to submit their observations and contribute to the COBS database.
Registered observers may submit observations using a web based form which which stores the observations in an SQL database and stores them in ICQ format. Observations may be queried and plotted in the web site or exported for further processing, analysis and publication. The database currently contains more than 256000 comet observations of more than 1400 different comets and represents the largest available database of comet observations.
The data stored in COBS is freely available to everyone who honors our data usage policy. Please cite COBS as the reference if you use it for comet studies.
Type | Comet name | Obs date | Mag | App | T | Pow | Dia | DC | Tail | PA | Obs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | C/2020 V2 | 2021 01 17.23 | 17.3 | 50.0 | L | A080 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
V | C/2020 M3 | 2021 01 16.85 | 10.5 | 20.3 | T | 77 | 4 | 2 | GON05 | ||
V | 156P | 2021 01 16.83 | 10.8 | 20.3 | T | 100 | 3 | 3 | GON05 | ||
V | 398P | 2021 01 16.82 | 11.2 | 20.3 | T | 100 | 4 | 2 | GON05 | ||
V | 141P | 2021 01 16.81 | 10.2 | 20.3 | T | 100 | 4 | 2/ | GON05 | ||
V | 88P | 2021 01 16.80 | 10.0 | 20.3 | T | 77 | 5 | 2/ | GON05 | ||
V | P/2016 J3 | 2021 01 16.78 | 9.7 | 20.3 | T | 100 | 5 | 2/ | GON05 | ||
C | 141P | 2021 01 16.73 | 10.0 | 30.0 | A | a 60 | 2 | PAP04 | |||
C | 88P | 2021 01 16.73 | 11.9 | 30.0 | A | a 60 | 1 | PAP04 | |||
C | P/2016 J3 | 2021 01 16.72 | 11.0 | 30.0 | A | a 60 | 2 | PAP04 | |||
C | C/2021 A1 | 2021 01 16.25 | 18.6 | 43.0 | T | a750 | PAUaa | ||||
C | 398P | 2021 01 15.19 | 13.5 | 35.0 | T | a750 | 0.5 | 5 | PAUaa | ||
C | C/2021 A2 | 2021 01 14.34 | 12.4 | 35.0 | T | a750 | 1.25 | 7 | 25.2s | 55 | PAUaa |
C | C/2020 T2 | 2021 01 14.25 | 15.0 | 50.0 | L | a600 | 0.6 | HILaa | |||
C | C/2020 V2 | 2021 01 14.22 | 17.2 | 50.0 | L | A080 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
C | 117P | 2021 01 14.21 | 16.8 | 50.0 | L | a600 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
C | 405P | 2021 01 14.20 | 17.5 | 50.0 | L | a600 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
C | C/2020 U5 | 2021 01 14.20 | 19.1 | 50.0 | L | a180 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
C | 9P | 2021 01 14.19 | 19.0 | 50.0 | L | a600 | 0.4 | HILaa | |||
C | 141P | 2021 01 14.07 | 10.4 | 10.6 | R | a540 | 12 | 0.34 | 68 | LEHaa |
Comet name | Mag | Trend | Observable | Visiblity 45N |
Visiblity 45S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
C/2020 X3 (SOHO) | 8.5 | fade | 27N to 90S | Never up | Never up |
323P/SOHO | 8.5 | steady | 69N to 90S | Poor elongation | Poor elongation |
C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) | 8.5 | fade | 81N to 90S | Poor elongation | Poor elongation |
141P/Machholz | 11.0 | fade | 84N to 90S | Evening | Evening |
156P/Russell-LINEAR | 11.5 | fade | 90N to 57S | Best evening | Early evening |
C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) | 11.5 | fade | 90N to 42S | All night | Never up |
C/2019 N1 (ATLAS) | 12.0 | steady | 34N to 90S | Never up | Never up |
10P/Tempel | 12.0 | bright | 71N to 90S | Poor elongation | Poor elongation |
398P/Boattini | 12.5 | fade | 90N to 80S | Best evening | Best evening |
C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) | 12.5 | fade | 85N to 90S | Best evening | Best morning |
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann | 13.0 | steady | 90N to 66S | Best evening | Evening |
7P/Pons-Winnecke | 13.0 | bright | 90N to 80S | Early evening | Early evening |
P/2016 J3 (STEREO) | 13.0 | bright | 76N to 90S | Evening | Early evening |
D/1978 R1 (Haneda-Campos) | 13.5 | fade | 90N to 73S | Best morning | Best morning |
P/2013 PA104 (PANSTARRS) | 13.5 | fade | 84N to 90S | Best evening | Best evening |
C/2019 L3 (ATLAS) | 13.5 | steady | 90N to 35S | All night | Never up |
88P/Howell | 13.5 | fade | 81N to 90S | Evening | Early evening |
75D/Kohoutek | 13.5 | fade | 90N to 71S | Best evening | Evening |
28P/Neujmin | 14.0 | bright | 64N to 90S | Poor elongation | Poor elongation |
246P/NEAT | 14.0 | bright | 70N to 90S | Early evening | Early evening |
The observable region is an approximate indication of the latitude at which the comet may be seen. The period when visible is calculated for latitude 45°N and 45°S.
As Chile and Argentina witnessed the total solar eclipse on Dec. 14, 2020, unbeknownst to skywatchers, a little tiny speck was flying past the Sun -- a recently discovered comet.
An atmospheric light show previously relegated to planets and Jupiter moons is found on comet using data from ESA's Rosetta spacecraft.
After years of detective work, the second touchdown site of Rosetta’s Philae lander has been located on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in a site that resembles the shape of a skull. Philae left its imprint in billions-of-years-old ice, revealing that the comet’s icy interior is softer than cappuccino froth.
In order to unify the camera type abbreviation keys of all QHYCCD camera models, we had to change some of the currently used camera type keys.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has its own far-ultraviolet aurora, data reveal. It is the first time such electromagnetic emissions in the far-ultraviolet have been documented on a celestial object other than a planet or moon.