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) (May 26, 2018).
Type Comet name Obs date Mag Dia DC Tail Observer V 29 2018 05 25.75 [14.5 WYA V 66 2018 05 25.74 10.7 6.5 3 WYA V 37 2018 05 25.73 12.7 1.7 4 WYA V 2016M1 2018 05 25.72 9.6: 2.9 5 WYA C 66 2018 05 24.78 10.2 7.1 RAMaa V 2016M1 2018 05 24.46 9.1 4 4 HER02 C 78 2018 05 24.31 18.4 0.2 MAS01 C 2015V2 2018 05 23.42 14.8 0.6 0.5m216 MAS01 C 21 2018 05 23.33 15.1 0.4 MAS01 C 48 2018 05 23.29 15.5 0.4 0.2m271 MAS01 C 186 2018 05 23.25 17.7 0.2 MAS01 V 2016M1 2018 05 23.01 10.3 2 4/ NOV01 V 66 2018 05 22.74 10.2 5.8 3 WYA V 37 2018 05 22.73 12.6 1.5 6 WYA V 2016M1 2018 05 22.72 9.6 4.2 5/ WYA
Comet Observing Planner
Current comet magnitudes and observable region
Comet Mag Trend Observable When visible
45N 45S
C/2016 M1 (PANSTARRS) 9.5 bright 69N to 90S Best morning Best morning
66P/du Toit 10.5 steady 58N to 90S Early evening Best morning
37P/Forbes 12.0 steady 78N to 90S Early evening Best morning
C/2016 R2 (PANSTARRS) 12.0 steady 90N to 42S All night Never up
C/2016 N6 (PANSTARRS) 12.5 steady 90N to 42S All night Never up
P/2010 H2 (Vales) 13.0 steady 70N to 90S Best morning Best morning
21P/Giacobini-Zinner 13.0 bright 90N to 59S Best morning Early evening
C/2017 T3 (ATLAS) 13.0 bright 90N to 68S Poor elongation Poor elongation
29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 13.0 steady 90N to 90S Early evening Early evening
C/2015 O1 (PANSTARRS) 13.5 fade 90N to 35S All night Never up
240P/NEAT 14.0 steady 90N to 69S Poor elongation Poor elongation
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
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.
Comet 'Chury's' late birth
Comets which consist of two parts, like Chury, can form after a catastrophic collision of larger bodies. Such collisions may have taken place in a later phase of our solar system, which suggests that Chury can be much younger than previously assumed. This is shown through computer simulations by an international research group with the participation of the University of Bern.