Latest image
Comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS)
False color unfiltered image of comet C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS), obtained on 2018 Apr. 8 (1h13-1h23UT) with 60-cm, f/3.3 Deltagraph. Exposure time was 8x60s.
Copyright © 2018 by H. Mikuz, Črni Vrh Observatory.
Welcome to COBS!
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 233000 comet observations of more than 1200 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.
Latest lightcurve
Light-curve of C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) (Jun 22, 2018).
Type Comet name Obs date Mag Dia DC Tail Observer V 2016M1 2018 06 22.38 8.3 4 3 HER02 C 21 2018 06 20.06 12.8 2.5 2.4m240 BAMaa V 2016M1 2018 06 19.30 8.5 5 5 HER02 C 21 2018 06 19.27 11.7 3.2 2.9m242 RAMaa V 37 2018 06 19.11 10.3 5 2/ GON05 V 48 2018 06 19.09 11.5 4 2 GON05 V 2016M1 2018 06 19.05 8.6 6 4/ GOI V 2016M1 2018 06 19.05 7.7 10 3 GON05 V 2016M1 2018 06 19.04 7.9 8 3/ 0.3 350 GON05 V 2016M1 2018 06 19.03 8.3 6 4 0.3 350 GON05 C 2017K2 2018 06 18.94 17.7 0.9 FRIaa C 38 2018 06 18.42 16.4 0.3 MAS01 C 2015V2 2018 06 18.39 15.2 0.5 0.9m217 MAS01 C 29 2018 06 18.31 17.5 0.2 MAS01 C 65 2018 06 18.27 17.5 0.2 MAS01
Comet Observing Planner
Current comet magnitudes and observable region
Comet Mag Trend Observable When visible
45N 45S
C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) 8.5 bright 49N to 90S Best morning Best morning
C/2017 T3 (ATLAS) 11.0 bright 90N to 80S Early evening Early evening
C/2016 R2 (PANSTARRS) 11.5 steady 90N to 39S All night Never up
66P/du Toit 11.5 fade 66N to 90S Early evening Best morning
21P/Giacobini-Zinner 12.0 bright 90N to 44S All night Never up
364P/PANSTARRS 12.5 bright 90N to 86S Early evening Evening
C/2016 N6 (PANSTARRS) 12.5 steady 90N to 51S Evening Early evening
37P/Forbes 12.5 fade 86N to 90S Best morning Best morning
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 13.0 steady 90N to 89S Best morning Best morning
P/2010 H2 (Vales) 13.0 fade 70N to 90S Best evening Best evening
C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) 13.5 fade 90N to 41S All night Never up
P/2013 R3-A (Catalina-PANSTARRS) 14.0 bright 74N to 90S Best morning Best morning
C/2017 M4 (ATLAS) 14.0 bright 90N to 45S Best morning Best morning
C/2017 S3 (PANSTARRS) 14.0 bright 90N to 31S All night Never up
P/2013 R3-B (Catalina-PANSTARRS) 14.0 bright 74N to 90S Best morning Best morning
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.
Latest news
Rosetta image archive complete
All high-resolution images and the underpinning data from Rosetta’s pioneering mission at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are now available in ESA’s archives, with the last release including the iconic images of finding lander Philae, and Rosetta’s final descent to the comet’s surface.
What interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua can teach us
The first interstellar object ever seen in our solar system, named 'Oumuamua, is giving scientists a fresh perspective on the development of planetary systems. A new study by a team including astrophysicists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, calculated how this visitor from outside our solar system fits into what we know about how planets, asteroids and comets form.
A star disturbed the comets of the solar system 70,000 years ago
About 70,000 years ago, a small reddish star approached our solar system and gravitationally disturbed comets and asteroids. Astronomers from the Complutense University of Madrid and the University of Cambridge have verified that the movement of some of these objects is still marked by that stellar encounter.
New Comet: C/2018 E1 (ATLAS)
CBET nr. 4494, issued on 2018, March 16, announces the discovery of an apparently asteroidal object (magnitude ~17) in the course of the "Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System" (ATLAS) search program on CCD images obtained with a 0.5-m f/2 Schmidt reflector at Haleakala, Hawaii. Posted on the Minor Planet Center's PCCP webpage, it has been reported as showing cometary activity by CCD astrometrists elsewhere. The new comet has been designated C/2018 E1 (ATLAS).
Interstellar asteroid, 'Oumuamua, likely came from a binary star system
New research finds that 'Oumuamua, the rocky object identified as the first confirmed interstellar asteroid, very likely came from a binary star system.