Objects in your sky: Comets
1980
Oct 16 – 8P/Tuttle at perihelion[chart]Nov 04 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
Nov 14 – 96P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
Nov 21 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]
Nov 26 – 210P/Christensen at perihelion[chart]
Dec 24 – 19P/Borrelly at perihelion[chart]
1987
Apr 25 – 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup at perihelion[chart]Jun 15 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
Oct 31 – 19P/Borrelly at perihelion[chart]
Nov 16 – 88P/Howell at perihelion[chart]
1988
Jun 15 – 66P/duToit at perihelion[chart]Aug 28 – 15P/Finlay at perihelion[chart]
Nov 18 – 141P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
1990
Apr 05 – 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova at perihelion[chart]May 24 – 22P/Kopff at perihelion[chart]
Oct 04 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
Oct 22 – 185P/Petriew at perihelion[chart]
1992
Jul 23 – 37P/Forbes at perihelion[chart]Jul 30 – 21P/Giacobini-Zinner at perihelion[chart]
Dec 10 – 154P/Brewington at perihelion[chart]
1994
Jan 23 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]May 31 – 8P/Tuttle at perihelion[chart]
Jun 06 – 10P/Tempel at perihelion[chart]
1995
Mar 27 – 15P/Finlay at perihelion[chart]Jun 25 – 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann at perihelion[chart]
Aug 06 – 58P/Jackson-Neujmin at perihelion[chart]
Aug 09 – 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova at perihelion[chart]
1997
Mar 14 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]Mar 30 – C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) at perihelion[chart]
Apr 15 – 81P/Wild at perihelion[chart]
May 15 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
2003
May 31 – 66P/duToit at perihelion[chart]Nov 13 – 58P/Jackson-Neujmin at perihelion[chart]
Dec 24 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
2004
Apr 21 – 88P/Howell at perihelion[chart]Oct 15 – 104P/Kowal at perihelion[chart]
Oct 25 – 78P/Gehrels at perihelion[chart]
Dec 02 – 141P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
2006
Apr 16 – 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova at perihelion[chart]May 07 – 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann at perihelion[chart]
May 10 – 71P/Clark at perihelion[chart]
Sep 05 – 177P/Barnard at perihelion[chart]
2008
Jan 13 – 8P/Tuttle at perihelion[chart]Jan 27 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]
Apr 07 – 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup at perihelion[chart]
May 19 – 15P/Finlay at perihelion[chart]
Dec 23 – 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at perihelion[chart]
2009
Apr 18 – C/2009 G1 (STEREO) at perihelion[chart]Jun 26 – 22P/Kopff at perihelion[chart]
Sep 17 – 217P/LINEAR at perihelion[chart]
Oct 12 – 88P/Howell at perihelion[chart]
2010
Feb 14 – 81P/Wild at perihelion[chart]Jul 04 – 10P/Tempel at perihelion[chart]
Aug 03 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
2017
Mar 13 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]Apr 10 – 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak at perihelion[chart]
Jun 29 – 71P/Clark at perihelion[chart]
Sep 09 – 1I/`Oumuamua at perihelion[chart]
Oct 21 – 96P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
2018
Sep 13 – 21P/Giacobini-Zinner at perihelion[chart]Nov 12 – 38P/Stephan-Oterma at perihelion[chart]
Nov 30 – C/2018 L2 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 03 – C/2018 V1 (Machholz-Fujikawa-Iwamoto) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 11 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]
2019
Feb 04 – C/2018 Y1 (Iwamoto) at perihelion[chart]May 12 – C/2018 W1 (Catalina) at perihelion[chart]
Jun 08 – C/2018 R3 (Lemmon) at perihelion[chart]
Aug 09 – 168P/Hergenrother at perihelion[chart]
Sep 05 – C/2018 W2 (Africano) at perihelion[chart]
Sep 11 – 260P/McNaught at perihelion[chart]
Nov 11 – C/2018 N2 (ASASSN) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 08 – 2I/Borisov at perihelion[chart]
2020
May 05 – C/2017 T2 (PANSTARRS) at perihelion[chart]May 27 – 58P/Jackson-Neujmin at perihelion[chart]
Jun 18 – C/2019 U6 (Lemmon) at perihelion[chart]
Jul 02 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
Jul 04 – C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE) at perihelion[chart]
Aug 14 – C/2020 Q1 (Borisov) at perihelion[chart]
Sep 15 – C/2020 K8 (Catalina-ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Sep 25 – 88P/Howell at perihelion[chart]
Oct 20 – C/2020 P1 (NEOWISE) at perihelion[chart]
Oct 25 – C/2020 M3 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Nov 30 – C/2019 N1 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 11 – C/2020 S3 (Erasmus) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 17 – 141P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
Dec 27 – 398P/Boattini at perihelion[chart]
2021
Jan 22 – C/2021 A2 (NEOWISE) at perihelion[chart]Feb 27 – C/2021 D1 (SWAN) at perihelion[chart]
Mar 02 – C/2020 R4 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Mar 23 – 10P/Tempel at perihelion[chart]
Jul 10 – C/2020 T2 (Palomar) at perihelion[chart]
Jul 13 – 15P/Finlay at perihelion[chart]
Aug 27 – 8P/Tuttle at perihelion[chart]
Sep 09 – 4P/Faye at perihelion[chart]
Nov 02 – 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at perihelion[chart]
2022
Jan 03 – C/2021 A1 (Leonard) at perihelion[chart]Jan 09 – C/2019 L3 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Jan 11 – 104P/Kowal at perihelion[chart]
Feb 01 – 19P/Borrelly at perihelion[chart]
Mar 18 – 22P/Kopff at perihelion[chart]
Apr 06 – C/2021 F1 (Lemmon-PANSTARRS) at perihelion[chart]
Apr 27 – 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova at perihelion[chart]
Jun 11 – C/2021 E3 (ZTF) at perihelion[chart]
Jul 30 – C/2021 P4 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Aug 26 – 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann at perihelion[chart]
Nov 24 – 118P/Shoemaker-Levy at perihelion[chart]
Nov 28 – C/2022 P1 (NEOWISE) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 15 – 81P/Wild at perihelion[chart]
Dec 19 – C/2017 K2 (PANSTARRS) at perihelion[chart]
2023
Jan 12 – C/2022 E3 (ZTF) at perihelion[chart]Jan 14 – C/2022 U2 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Jan 22 – 71P/Clark at perihelion[chart]
Jan 31 – 96P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
Feb 18 – C/2022 A2 (PANSTARRS) at perihelion[chart]
May 08 – C/2020 V2 (ZTF) at perihelion[chart]
Jul 01 – C/2023 E1 (ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Jul 31 – C/2021 T4 (Lemmon) at perihelion[chart]
Sep 17 – C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) at perihelion[chart]
Oct 22 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]
Oct 29 – C/2023 H2 (Lemmon) at perihelion[chart]
Dec 25 – 62P/Tsuchinshan at perihelion[chart]
2024
Jan 19 – C/2023 S3 (Lemmon) at perihelion[chart]Jan 25 – 144P/Kushida at perihelion[chart]
Feb 14 – C/2021 S3 (PANSTARRS) at perihelion[chart]
Apr 21 – 12P/Pons-Brooks at perihelion[chart]
May 19 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]
Jun 11 – 154P/Brewington at perihelion[chart]
Jun 30 – 13P/Olbers at perihelion[chart]
Sep 27 – C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) at perihelion[chart]
Nov 29 – 333P/LINEAR at perihelion[chart]
2025
Mar 25 – 21P/Giacobini-Zinner at perihelion[chart]Nov 22 – 210P/Christensen at perihelion[chart]
Dec 19 – 240P/NEAT at perihelion[chart]
2026
Jan 08 – 24P/Schaumasse at perihelion[chart]Mar 18 – 88P/Howell at perihelion[chart]
Apr 22 – 141P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
Jun 24 – 78P/Gehrels at perihelion[chart]
Aug 02 – 10P/Tempel at perihelion[chart]
Nov 12 – 69P/Taylor at perihelion[chart]
Nov 28 – 161P/Hartley-IRAS at perihelion[chart]
2027
Feb 10 – 2P/Encke at perihelion[chart]Aug 30 – 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova at perihelion[chart]
Oct 12 – 104P/Kowal at perihelion[chart]
2028
Feb 01 – 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann at perihelion[chart]Feb 08 – 15P/Finlay at perihelion[chart]
Feb 17 – 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak at perihelion[chart]
Apr 07 – 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at perihelion[chart]
May 11 – 96P/Machholz at perihelion[chart]
Jul 28 – 22P/Kopff at perihelion[chart]
Aug 17 – 71P/Clark at perihelion[chart]
Sep 02 – 58P/Jackson-Neujmin at perihelion[chart]
Dec 06 – 108P/Ciffreo at perihelion[chart]
Dec 09 – 19P/Borrelly at perihelion[chart]
2029
Jan 08 – 118P/Shoemaker-Levy at perihelion[chart]May 16 – 81P/Wild at perihelion[chart]
Oct 25 – 46P/Wirtanen at perihelion[chart]
The position of each comet is calculated from orbital elements published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC).
The brightnesses of comets are estimated from magnitude parameters published by the BAA Comet Section, where these are available. These are computed from the observations they receive from amateur astronomers.
Comets are intrinsically highly unpredictable objects, since their brightness depends on the scattering of sunlight from dust particles in the comet's coma and tail. This dust is continually streaming away from the comet's nucleus, and its density at any particular time is governed by the rate of sublimation of the ice in the comet's nucleus, as it is heated by the Sun's rays. It also depends on the amount of dust that is mixed in with that ice. This is very difficult to predict in advance, and can be highly variable even between successive apparitions of the same comet.
In consequence, while the future positions of comets are usually known with a high degree of confidence, their future brightnesses are not. For most comets, we do not publish any magnitude estimates at all. For the few comets where we do make estimates, we generally prefer the BAA's magnitude parameters to those published by the Minor Planet Center, since they are typically updated more often.