COBS News archive

Comet Discovered Hiding in Plain Sight
September 12, 2013
For 30 years, a large near-Earth asteroid wandered its lone, intrepid path, passing before the scrutinizing eyes of scientists while keeping something to itself: 3552 Don Quixote, whose journey stretches to the orbit of Jupiter, now appears to be a comet.

New Comet: C/2013 R1 (LOVEJOY)
September 12, 2013
Cbet nr. 3649, issued on 2013, September 09, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~14.4) by Terry Lovejoy on CCD images obtained with a 20-cm f/2.1 Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector on two nights. The new comet has been designated C/2013 R1 (LOVEJOY).

New Comet: C/2013 P2 (PANSTARRS)
August 09, 2013
Cbet nr. 3621, issued on 2013, August 07, announces the discovery of an apparently asteroidal object (discovery magnitude ~19.5) by professional survey F51 Pan-STARRS 1 (Haleakala) on CCD images obtained with 1.8-m Ritchey-Chretien on August 04, 2013 (pre-discovery Pan-STARRS1 observations from July 26 were found later by P. Veres).

New Comet: C/2013 L2 (CATALINA)
June 12, 2013
Cbet nr. 3548, issued on 2013, June 09, announces the discovery of an apparently asteroidal object (discovery magnitude ~19.6) by R. A. Kowalski on CCD images obtained with the Catalina Sky Survey 0.68-m Schmidt telescopeon June 02. After posting on the Minor Planet Centers NEOCP webpage, this apparently asteroidal object as been found to show cometary features by by astrometric observers elsewhere. The new comet has been designated C/2013 L2 (CATALINA).

Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) - Update
May 23, 2013
Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) was discovered on September 21, 2012 by Vitali Nevski and Artyom Novichonok on CCD images obtained with a 0.4-m f/3 Santel reflector of the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON) near Kislovodsk, Russia.

Hubble Captures Comet ISON
April 26, 2013
This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) was photographed on April 10, when the comet was slightly closer than Jupiters orbit at a distance of 386 million miles from the Sun (394 million miles from Earth).

New Comet: C/2013 G9 (TENAGRA)
April 22, 2013
Cbet nr. 3478, issued on 2013, April 19, announces the discovery of a apparently asteroidal object (discovery magnitude ~19.6) by M. Schwartz and P. R. Holvorcem on CCD images obtained with the Tenagra II 0.41-m f/3.75 astrograph located near Nogales, AZ, U.S.A.

New Comet: C/2013 G7 (McNAUGHT)
April 18, 2013
Cbet nr. 3476, issued on 2013, April 16, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~18) by R. H. McNaught on CCD images obtained with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring on april 13.6. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G7 (McNAUGHT).

Update: Comet to Make Close Flyby of Red Planet in October 2014
April 16, 2013
New observations of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) have allowed NASAs Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. to further refine the comets orbit.

New Comet: C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS)
April 15, 2013
Cbet nr. 3472, issued on 2013, April 04, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~20.7) by PANSTARRS survey on CCD images obtained with the 1.8-m Pan-STARRS1 telescope on Haleakala on April 10.4. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G3 (PANSTARRS).

New Comet: C/2013 G1 (KOWALSKI)
April 08, 2013
Cbet nr. 3454, issued on 2013, April 04, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~18.5) by R. A. Kowalski on CCD images obtained with the Mount Lemmon 1.5-m reflector on April 02.4. The new comet has been designated C/2013 G1 (KOWALSKI).

New Comet: C/2013 F3 (McNAUGHT)
April 03, 2013
Cbet nr. 3450, issued on 2013, April 01, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~17) by R. H. McNaught on CCD images obtained with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope at Siding Spring on March 29.7. The new comet has been designated C/2013 F3 (McNAUGHT).

NASAs Swift Sizes Up Comet ISON
March 29, 2013
Astronomers from the University of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) and Lowell Observatory have used NASAs Swift satellite to check out comet C/2012 S1 (ISON), which may become one of the most dazzling in decades when it rounds the sun later this year.

New Comet: C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO)
March 16, 2013
Cbet nr. 3439, issued on 2013, March 14, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude ~14) by Masayuki Iwamoto (Awa, Tokushima-ken, Japan) on three 60-s CCD frames taken on March 10.8 & 11.8 with a Pentax 100-mm f/4 lens and a Canon EOS 5D digital camera. The new comet has been designated C/2013 E2 (IWAMOTO).

Bright Comet in the Evening Sky
March 08, 2013
Skywatchers in the northern hemisphere should enjoy a rare treat in the next few weeks, as Comet C/2011 L4 PANSTARRS enters the evening sky. Although the brightness of comets is notoriously difficult to predict, it looks as though this object may even be visible to the naked eye in the second half of March.

Comet PANSTARRS Rises to the Occasion Mid-March
March 07, 2013
Comets visible to the naked eye are a rare delicacy in the celestial smorgasbord of objects in the nighttime sky. Scientists estimate that the opportunity to see one of these icy dirtballs advertising their cosmic presence so brilliantly they can be seen without the aid of a telescope or binoculars happens only once every five to 10 years. That said, there may be two naked-eye comets available for your viewing pleasure this year.

Comet to Make Close Flyby of Red Planet in October 2014
March 06, 2013
Comet 2013 A1 (Siding Spring) will make a very close approach to Mars in October 2014.

New Evidence That Comets Could Have Seeded Life On Earth
March 05, 2013
Its among the most ancient of questions: What are the origins of life on Earth? A new experiment simulating conditions in deep space reveals that the complex building blocks of life could have been created on icy interplanetary dust and then carried to Earth, jump-starting life.

Comet C/2013 A1 and its close approach to Mars
March 05, 2013
The discovery of comet C/2013 A1 (SIDING SPRING) was announced on Cbet nr. 3368 & M.P.E.C. 2013-A14, issued on 2013, January 05. The comet was discovered on CCD images obtained by notable Australian observer R. H. McNaught with the 0.5-m Uppsala Schmidt telescope a few days earlier on Jan. 03 (with a discovery magnitude 18.6).

New Comet: C/2013 B2 (CATALINA)
January 28, 2013
Cbet nr. 3390, issued on 2013, January 23, announces the discovery of a new comet (discovery magnitude 18.9) on images taken by J. A. Johnson with the Catalina Sky Surveys 0.68-m Schmidt telescope + CCD on January 16.2. The new comet has been designated C/2013 B2 (CATALINA). The apparently asteroidal object posted on the Minor Planet Centers NEOCP webpage, has been found to show cometary appearance by CCD astrometrists elsewhere.