Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2026 Aug. 8: South)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on August 6, 2026
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Southern Hemisphere. Azimuth indicates 0 for south, 90 for west, 180 for north, 270 for east.

220P/McNaught Major outburst of about 9 mag occured from May 31 to June 1, and it brightened up to 8.3 mag (June 3, Marco Goiato). Another major outburst occured on Aug. 5 and it brightened up to 7 mag (Aug. 5, iuseppe Pappa). It will fade out rapidly after this. It will be fainter than 18 mag in November. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 2 42.66 9 31.0 1.231 1.647 93 7.3 5:22 (186, 45) Aug. 15 2 54.90 9 32.9 1.199 1.669 97 8.0 5:15 (183, 45) 10P/Tempel 2 Now it is 7.4 mag (Aug. 5, Chris Wyatt). It will fade out rapidly after this. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. But it will become high in autumn. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 21 58.20 -27 12.1 0.416 1.419 164 8.0 0:54 (180, 82) Aug. 15 22 5.56 -29 56.9 0.424 1.424 162 8.1 0:34 (180, 85) 169P/NEAT It will approach to Earth down to 0.17 a.u. in August. It is expected to brighten up to 10 mag from August to September. Now it is 12.7 mag (Aug. 5, Jean-Gabriel Bosch). It brightens up to 10 mag, but it will turn to fade out rapidly after that. It will be fainter than 18 mag in November. It will be unobservable soon. But it will be observable again in September. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 15 17.69 40 49.2 0.172 1.001 80 12.0 18:49 (171, 13) Aug. 15 12 55.01 39 34.4 0.171 0.913 50 11.2 18:53 (140, 0) 88P/Howell It brightened up to 9.6 mag in the very low sky in spring (Apr. 14, Chris Wyatt). Now it is 13.1 mag (Aug. 1, Yoshimi Nagai). It will fade out rapidly after this. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 3 0.54 13 40.7 1.744 1.994 88 12.4 5:22 (191, 41) Aug. 15 3 6.86 14 9.1 1.709 2.041 93 12.6 5:15 (186, 41) C/2024 T5 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 13.9 mag (July 24, Andrew Pearce). Brightening slowly. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It is expected to brighten up to 11 mag in winter. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 5 14.96 -12 58.2 4.834 4.502 65 13.0 5:22 (251, 46) Aug. 15 5 20.42 -12 54.6 4.733 4.471 69 12.9 5:15 (247, 49) 260P/McNaught Now it is 13.5 mag (July 13, Kunihiro Shima). Fading gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 3 21.51 25 4.9 1.169 1.418 80 13.2 5:22 (194, 28) Aug. 15 3 41.96 27 58.4 1.144 1.422 82 13.1 5:15 (193, 26) 78P/Gehrels 2 Now it is 13.6 mag (July 24, Hiroshi Abe). It stays 13 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. But it will become high in autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 5 35.06 20 42.3 2.516 2.037 51 13.2 5:22 (226, 19) Aug. 15 5 50.77 20 32.2 2.471 2.048 54 13.2 5:15 (225, 19) C/2024 J3 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 13.7 mag (July 14, Kunihiro Shima). It stays 14 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable in October. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 19 3.41 43 4.7 3.462 3.982 113 13.5 21:55 (180, 12) Aug. 15 18 54.89 43 23.1 3.482 3.967 111 13.5 21:19 (180, 12) C/2025 R3 ( PanSTARRS ) It brightened up to 4.0 mag in late April (Apr. 30, Chris Wyatt). It brightened up to 1.3 mag due to the forward scattering in the SOHO LASCO images (Apr. 25, Mikolaj Kaszczyk). Now it is 12.6 mag (June 23, Andrew Pearce). Fading gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in September. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 7 30.72 -16 6.4 2.804 2.140 40 13.6 5:22 (276, 20) Aug. 15 7 33.44 -17 6.8 2.861 2.241 43 13.9 5:15 (274, 25) C/2023 R1 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 13.2 mag (Aug. 5, Osamu Miyazaki). Fading slowly. It will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in October in the Northern Hemisphere, or in November in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 15 48.04 -12 54.8 3.371 3.724 102 14.0 18:49 (175, 68) Aug. 15 15 41.68 -13 33.7 3.525 3.742 94 14.1 18:53 (151, 66) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Now it is 14.1 mag (July 27, Andrew Pearce). In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in October. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable in September. But it will be observable again in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 11 28.82 -3 23.0 7.067 6.317 39 14.3 18:49 (101, 21) Aug. 15 11 33.08 -3 49.6 7.132 6.318 34 14.3 18:53 ( 96, 16) C/2014 UN271 ( Bernardinelli-Bernstein ) Very large comet. It is expected to brighten up to 13 mag in 2031. Now it is 14.9 mag (May 19, Andrew Pearce). It stays 15 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable until 2030. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 6 53.58 -68 53.5 13.717 13.730 88 14.6 5:22 (334, 41) Aug. 15 7 0.00 -69 10.0 13.710 13.710 87 14.6 5:15 (335, 42) 63P/Wild 1 Now it is 14.8 mag (July 5, Martin Masek). Fading gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable in September. But it will be observable again in December. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 11 7.23 4 43.0 2.802 2.001 30 14.6 18:49 (104, 12) Aug. 15 11 21.48 2 25.5 2.846 2.014 28 14.6 18:53 (100, 10) C/2024 R4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 14.9 mag (July 11, Alfons Diepvens). It stays 15 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 21 11.08 49 11.9 5.171 5.667 114 14.8 0:07 (180, 6) Aug. 15 21 0.60 49 32.5 5.120 5.634 115 14.8 23:24 (180, 5) 161P/Hartley-IRAS It is expected to brighten up 10 mag from autumn to winter, and it will be observable in good condition. Now it is 17.2 mag (July 28, Ken-ichi Kadota). Brightening rapidly. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 3 20.51 -19 18.9 1.605 1.943 93 15.3 5:22 (221, 70) Aug. 15 3 17.01 -19 2.6 1.430 1.880 99 14.8 5:15 (204, 73) 123P/West-Hartley Now it is 16.9 mag (May 17, Kunihiro Shima). It stays 15 mag for a while. Now it is not observable. It will appear in September in the Northern Hemisphere, or in November in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 9 17.96 26 41.5 3.176 2.187 10 15.2 18:49 (108,-22) Aug. 15 9 34.49 25 28.1 3.163 2.179 11 15.1 5:15 (254,-23) C/2026 A2 ( Bok ) It will brighten up to 13 mag from autumn to winter. Now it is 15.6 mag (July 20, Toru Yusa). Brightening gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 16 3.12 77 51.5 2.570 2.538 76 15.3 18:54 (180,-23) Aug. 15 16 4.07 77 8.8 2.498 2.487 77 15.1 18:53 (178,-22) (3200) Phaethon Parent object of Geminids meteor shower. It approaches to Sun down to 0.14 a.u. on Sept. 2. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be observable at 14-15 mag in good condition in October. Now it is not observable. It will appear in September in the Northern Hemisphere, or in October in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 7 52.49 19 54.5 1.633 0.749 18 15.9 5:22 (249, -5) Aug. 15 8 30.67 16 50.0 1.499 0.596 16 15.3 5:15 (254, -6) C/2022 QE78 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.5 mag (June 14, Alfons Diepvens). It stays 16 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be unobservable soon. But it will be observable again in September. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 10 21.44 28 28.5 6.922 5.982 20 15.5 18:49 (117,-11) Aug. 15 10 27.93 28 9.8 6.956 6.003 18 15.5 18:53 (114,-15) C/2021 G2 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.5 mag (July 13, Martin Masek). It stays 16 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 16 58.08 15 23.2 6.775 7.188 110 15.8 19:51 (180, 40) Aug. 15 16 57.91 15 6.4 6.893 7.224 105 15.8 19:23 (180, 40) C/2022 N2 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 15.8 mag (May 7, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 16 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 6 43.24 26 32.8 5.774 4.984 35 15.8 5:22 (234, 4) Aug. 15 6 50.07 26 25.4 5.745 5.021 40 15.8 5:15 (232, 6) C/2025 Y1 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 16.0 mag (July 27, ATLAS South Africa). Brightening slowly. It will be unobservable in September. But it will be observable again in November in the Northern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 12 57.99 2 22.0 5.461 4.993 57 16.2 18:49 (122, 34) Aug. 15 13 2.37 1 53.3 5.495 4.940 52 16.1 18:53 (116, 30) C/2025 M2 ( PanSTARRS ) It is expected to brighten up to 12 mag from 2027 to 2028. Now it is 16.0 mag (July 25, ATLAS-HKO, Haleakala). It stays 16 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in December. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 19 39.21 -20 16.3 4.348 5.302 158 16.4 22:31 (180, 75) Aug. 15 19 30.12 -20 32.9 4.355 5.251 149 16.4 21:55 (180, 76) 65P/Gunn Now it is 18.4 mag (July 10, W. Hasubick). It stays 17 mag for a while. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 0 54.24 -5 26.3 2.838 3.509 124 16.7 3:50 (180, 60) Aug. 15 0 53.44 -5 43.7 2.777 3.525 130 16.7 3:22 (180, 61) 114P/Wiseman-Skiff It has not been observed yet in this apparition. It stays 17 mag for a while. It stays extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. But it will become high in autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 5 55.67 30 20.7 2.140 1.618 46 16.8 5:22 (224, 8) Aug. 15 6 18.71 29 29.3 2.092 1.602 48 16.7 5:15 (225, 9) P/2026 M1 ( ZTF ) First return of a new periodic comet which brightened up to 17 mag in 2021. It approached to Earth down to 0.17 a.u. from June to July. It brightened up to 15.2 mag (July 14, Andrew Pearce). Now it is 16.2 mag (July 28, Ken-ichi Kadota). It will fade out rapidly after this. It will be fainter than 18 mag in September. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It stays extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 3 43.08 37 33.8 0.376 0.978 73 16.8 5:22 (196, 15) Aug. 15 4 2.81 40 16.7 0.422 0.998 75 17.1 5:15 (195, 13) C/2025 J1 ( Borisov ) Now it is 16.6 mag (Mar. 1, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 17 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. But it will become high in autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 6 56.07 24 12.2 4.433 3.618 32 16.8 5:22 (238, 3) Aug. 15 7 0.45 22 57.5 4.372 3.627 37 16.8 5:15 (236, 7) C/2026 AZ17 ( Bok ) Now it is 17.0 mag (July 28, ATLAS-HKO, Haleakala). It stays 17 mag for a while. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 16 25.03 18 59.8 2.333 2.723 101 16.9 19:18 (180, 36) Aug. 15 16 29.14 17 1.4 2.360 2.693 97 16.8 18:55 (180, 38) C/2024 G6 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 16.8 mag (July 24, ATLAS-HKO, Haleakala). It stays 17 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually. But it will be getting higher again after November. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in October. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 15 6.98 15 36.8 6.542 6.531 84 16.9 18:49 (165, 38) Aug. 15 15 6.09 15 34.4 6.656 6.539 79 16.9 18:53 (155, 36) 112P/Urata-Niijima It has not been observed yet in this apparition. It is expected to brighten up to 15 mag in autumn. Now it is fainter than 19 mag (July 29, Jean-Francois Soulier). Brightening gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will be getting lower gradually after this, and it will be unobservable in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 4 5.68 16 47.1 1.481 1.522 72 17.3 5:22 (209, 33) Aug. 15 4 25.69 19 31.2 1.420 1.500 74 17.0 5:15 (207, 31) C/2024 G4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 16.8 mag (July 10, Alfons Diepvens). It stays 18 mag for a while. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 20 6.37 0 26.0 4.069 5.018 157 17.1 22:59 (180, 55) Aug. 15 20 4.32 -0 21.3 4.105 5.030 153 17.1 22:29 (180, 55) C/2025 E1 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 17.2 mag (June 2, ATLAS Chile). It stays 17 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will never be observable after this. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 9 40.30 -65 52.5 4.025 4.018 82 17.1 18:49 ( 28, 30) Aug. 15 9 52.18 -66 54.4 4.041 4.013 81 17.1 18:53 ( 26, 29) 235P/LINEAR It became brighter than expected. It was observed at 13 mag from winter to spring. Now it is 17.4 mag (July 28, ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa). It will fade out rapidly after this. It will be fainter than 18 mag soon. It stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 16 41.45 -10 4.2 2.019 2.609 114 17.1 19:35 (180, 65) Aug. 15 16 45.51 -10 35.2 2.128 2.639 109 17.4 19:11 (180, 66) C/2023 RS61 ( PanSTARRS ) It is around 20 mag usually. However, it brightened in outburst in 2025 autumn up to 17.0 mag (Sept. 4, Taras Prystavski). Now it is 17.3 mag (Mar. 6, ATLAS-HKO, Haleakala). It stays 17 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It stays extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 4 26.72 40 38.1 8.884 8.507 65 17.3 5:22 (203, 9) Aug. 15 4 29.65 40 58.1 8.778 8.499 70 17.2 5:15 (199, 10) C/2019 E3 ( ATLAS ) Very far object. It stays 17 mag for a while. It stays extremely low in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 0 34.91 -44 31.4 10.923 11.585 128 17.3 3:31 ( 0, 81) Aug. 15 0 32.18 -44 45.8 10.899 11.601 132 17.3 3:00 ( 0, 80) C/2022 E2 ( ATLAS ) It was observed at 12-13 mag for a long time in 2024. Now it is 17.2 mag (July 10, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It locates somewhat low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 22 38.83 31 28.0 6.179 6.847 127 17.4 1:35 (180, 23) Aug. 15 22 32.99 30 59.7 6.162 6.891 132 17.5 1:02 (180, 24) C/2023 X2 ( Lemmon ) Now it is 17.8 mag (July 6, ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will never be observable after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 13 57.46 67 51.8 5.657 5.362 68 17.5 18:49 (169,-15) Aug. 15 14 4.89 66 6.0 5.679 5.378 67 17.5 18:53 (166,-15) 188P/LINEAR-Mueller Now it is 18.2 mag (Jan. 17, Kunihiro Shima). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. It stays extremely low in the Southern Hemisphere. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 4 59.99 30 39.8 3.057 2.670 58 17.6 5:22 (214, 15) Aug. 15 5 11.61 31 15.3 2.996 2.685 62 17.6 5:15 (212, 16) C/2025 B2 ( Borisov ) Now it is 17.2 mag (July 20, ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will never be observable after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 16 39.30 83 56.4 8.427 8.241 76 17.7 19:27 (180,-29) Aug. 15 16 32.92 82 49.0 8.398 8.241 77 17.7 18:54 (180,-28) 84P/Giclas Now it is 17.4 mag (July 26, ATLAS South Africa). It stays 17 mag for a while. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 20 38.21 -23 29.8 1.385 2.390 169 17.9 23:30 (180, 78) Aug. 15 20 31.94 -24 16.6 1.368 2.352 161 17.7 22:57 (180, 79) C/2023 H5 ( Lemmon ) Now it is 17.8 mag (July 26, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. In the Southern Hemisphere, it will never be observable after this. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 21 11.05 66 2.6 5.184 5.414 97 17.9 0:07 (180,-11) Aug. 15 21 2.04 65 10.8 5.173 5.447 100 17.9 23:25 (180,-10) P/2026 L3 ( Gibbs ) It was observed at 17 mag in 2012. It was expected to brighten up to 17 mag again in this apparition. But actually, it is much fainter. Now it is 19.7 mag (July 14, Martin Masek). Fading gradually. It locates somewhat low in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it stays observable in good condition. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 8 20 5.76 -20 44.5 1.115 2.109 164 21.0 22:58 (180, 76) Aug. 15 20 3.36 -21 59.9 1.146 2.114 156 21.0 22:28 (180, 77)