COBS NEWS Archive
Comet tails blowing in the solar wind
Combined observations of Comet McNaught -- one of the brightest comets visible from Earth in the past 50 years -- have revealed new insights on the nature of comets and their relationship with the Sun.
Secret shared by comets and sand crabs
Researchers have found a mechanical connection between sand crab burrow widths and widths of cometary pits using a simple granular experiment.
Comet landscape
On 30 September 2016, ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft came closer than ever to the target it had studied from afar for more than two years, concluding its mission with a controlled impact onto the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P/C-G).
Gaia finds candidates for interstellar ‘Oumuamua’s home
Using data from ESA’s Gaia stellar surveyor, astronomers have identified four stars that are possible places of origin of ‘Oumuamua, an interstellar object spotted during a brief visit to our Solar System in 2017.
Observation Alert: Extremely bright mag 12.2 outburst of Comet 29P
A second outburst of 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann has taken place on 2018 09 23.2 +/-0.1 which has raised its brightness from r mag 13.2 to 12.2. This new outburst occurred 2.6 +/-0.2 days after this first event and its current brightness makes it one of the four most intense outbursts in 8 years.
The Comet Observation Database - Observer tools and case study (EPSC2018-644, Berlin 2018)
This paper introduces the main functionality of the COBS database [1, 2] that is of interest to a comet observer, with application to C/2004 R2 (Machholz).
The Comet Observation Database - Structure and content (EPSC 2018-632, Berlin 2018)
The Comet Observation Database (COBS) [1, 2] is a unique web service that enables comet observers to submit, display and analyse comet data in a single location. The service currently represents one of the largest databases of comet observations (containing more than 235,000 observations) and is available to comet observers worldwide.
Green comet makes closest approach to earth
On Sept. 10th, Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner ("21P" for short) will make its closest approach to Earth in 72 years--only 58 million km from our planet. This small but active comet is easy to see in small telescopes and binoculars as it shines like a 7th magnitude star. Michael Jäger of Weißenkirchen, Austria, sends this photo of 21P passing through the stars of Auriga on Sept. 7th.
A Green Comet Approaches Earth
Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner is approaching Earth. On Sept. 10th, it will be 0.39 AU (58 million km) from our planet and almost bright enough to see with the naked eye. Already it is an easy target for backyard telescopes.
The cautionary tail of Comet Swift–Tuttle
Comet Swift–Tuttle, formally 109P/Swift–Tuttle, is an enormous, icy comet on a 133 year orbit around the Sun, and the reason for the spectacular annual Perseids meteor showers on Earth.
