Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2026 Aug. 15: South)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on August 15, 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 occued on Aug. 5 and it brightened up to 6.4 mag (Aug. 6, Taras Prystavski). Now it is 7.2 mag (Aug. 9, Osamu Miyazaki). 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. 15 2 54.86 9 32.7 1.199 1.669 97 8.0 5:15 (183, 45) Aug. 22 3 5.67 9 24.5 1.167 1.694 101 8.8 5:06 (180, 45) 10P/Tempel 2 Now it is 7.5 mag (Aug. 11, 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. 15 22 5.53 -29 56.7 0.425 1.424 162 8.1 0:34 (180, 85) Aug. 22 22 12.16 -32 11.7 0.441 1.433 159 8.2 0:13 (180, 87) 169P/NEAT It is approaching to Earth down to 0.17 a.u. Now it is 11.4 mag (Aug. 9, Mike Olason). 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. 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 September. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 15 12 55.01 39 34.4 0.171 0.913 50 11.2 18:53 (140, 0) Aug. 22 11 8.03 30 27.9 0.206 0.827 23 10.7 18:58 (116,-16) 88P/Howell It brightened up to 9.6 mag in the very low sky in spring (Apr. 14, Chris Wyatt). Now it is 12.7 mag (Aug. 9, Osamu Miyazaki). 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. 15 3 6.86 14 9.1 1.709 2.041 93 12.6 5:15 (186, 41) Aug. 22 3 11.79 14 31.3 1.673 2.087 99 12.7 5:08 (181, 40) C/2024 T5 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 13.5 mag (Aug. 6, Ken-ichi Kadota). 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. 15 5 20.42 -12 54.6 4.733 4.471 69 12.9 5:15 (247, 49) Aug. 22 5 25.51 -12 53.9 4.628 4.441 73 12.8 5:08 (243, 52) 260P/McNaught Now it is 13.6 mag (July 24, Masayoshi Yoshimi). 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. 15 3 41.96 27 58.4 1.144 1.422 82 13.1 5:15 (193, 26) Aug. 22 4 2.29 30 41.8 1.122 1.431 84 13.0 5:08 (193, 23) 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 stays observable in good condition. 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. 15 5 50.77 20 32.2 2.471 2.048 54 13.2 5:15 (225, 19) Aug. 22 6 6.02 20 15.6 2.424 2.060 57 13.2 5:08 (225, 20) C/2024 J3 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 13.6 mag (Aug. 6, Hiroshi Abe). 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. 15 18 54.89 43 23.1 3.482 3.967 111 13.5 21:19 (180, 12) Aug. 22 18 47.22 43 29.7 3.509 3.954 108 13.5 20:44 (180, 11) 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). 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. 15 7 33.44 -17 6.8 2.861 2.241 43 13.9 5:15 (274, 25) Aug. 22 7 35.57 -18 12.2 2.906 2.340 47 14.1 5:08 (273, 29) 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. 15 15 41.68 -13 33.7 3.525 3.742 94 14.1 18:53 (151, 66) Aug. 22 15 36.69 -14 11.9 3.681 3.761 86 14.2 18:58 (133, 62) 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 16.9 mag (Aug. 9, Mike Olason). Brightening rapidly. 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. 15 3 17.01 -19 2.6 1.430 1.880 99 14.8 5:15 (204, 73) Aug. 22 3 10.31 -18 47.9 1.254 1.817 106 14.3 5:08 (183, 74) 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Now it is 13.6 mag (Aug. 2, 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. 15 11 33.08 -3 49.6 7.132 6.318 34 14.3 18:53 ( 96, 16) Aug. 22 11 37.49 -4 17.7 7.187 6.318 28 14.3 18:58 ( 92, 10) (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. 15 8 30.67 16 50.0 1.499 0.596 16 15.3 5:15 (254, -6) Aug. 22 9 17.37 12 30.2 1.366 0.421 11 14.3 5:08 (261, -9) C/2014 UN271 ( Bernardinelli-Bernstein ) Very large comet. It is expected to brighten up to 13 mag in 2031. Now it is 13.8 mag (July 18, Thomas Lehmann). 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. 15 7 0.00 -69 10.0 13.710 13.710 87 14.6 5:15 (335, 42) Aug. 22 7 6.19 -69 28.4 13.704 13.689 87 14.5 5:08 (336, 43) 63P/Wild 1 Now it is 13.8 mag (Aug. 2, Thomas Lehmann). 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. 15 11 21.48 2 25.5 2.846 2.014 28 14.6 18:53 (100, 10) Aug. 22 11 35.68 0 8.5 2.889 2.028 25 14.7 18:58 ( 95, 8) C/2024 R4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 14.8 mag (Aug. 12, Erik Bryssinck). 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. 15 21 0.60 49 32.5 5.120 5.634 115 14.8 23:24 (180, 5) Aug. 22 20 49.97 49 41.4 5.078 5.600 116 14.7 22:46 (180, 5) C/2026 A2 ( Bok ) It will brighten up to 13 mag from autumn to winter. Now it is 15.2 mag (Aug. 12, Alfons Diepvens). 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. 15 16 4.07 77 8.8 2.498 2.487 77 15.1 18:53 (178,-22) Aug. 22 16 10.06 76 20.2 2.422 2.437 78 15.0 18:58 (177,-22) 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. 15 9 34.49 25 28.1 3.163 2.179 11 15.1 5:15 (254,-23) Aug. 22 9 50.81 24 9.9 3.148 2.172 12 15.1 5:08 (255,-22) 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 temporarily 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. 15 10 27.93 28 9.8 6.956 6.003 18 15.5 18:53 (114,-15) Aug. 22 10 34.45 27 51.7 6.981 6.024 17 15.5 18:58 (110,-20) 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. 15 6 50.07 26 25.4 5.745 5.021 40 15.8 5:15 (232, 6) Aug. 22 6 56.56 26 17.5 5.709 5.059 45 15.8 5:08 (230, 8) C/2021 G2 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.7 mag (Aug. 2, Masayoshi Yoshimi). 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. 15 16 57.91 15 6.4 6.893 7.224 105 15.8 19:23 (180, 40) Aug. 22 16 58.18 14 47.9 7.015 7.259 99 15.9 18:58 (179, 40) 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. 15 13 2.37 1 53.3 5.495 4.940 52 16.1 18:53 (116, 30) Aug. 22 13 7.14 1 22.9 5.522 4.887 46 16.1 18:58 (111, 25) 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. 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. 15 19 30.12 -20 32.9 4.355 5.251 149 16.4 21:55 (180, 76) Aug. 22 19 21.47 -20 47.0 4.380 5.199 140 16.4 21:19 (180, 76) 114P/Wiseman-Skiff Now it is 16.6 mag (Aug. 11, Alfons Diepvens). 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. 15 6 18.71 29 29.3 2.092 1.602 48 16.7 5:15 (225, 9) Aug. 22 6 41.34 28 22.2 2.045 1.590 49 16.6 5:08 (226, 9) 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. 15 0 53.44 -5 43.7 2.777 3.525 130 16.7 3:22 (180, 61) Aug. 22 0 51.74 -6 4.9 2.724 3.540 137 16.7 2:52 (180, 61) 112P/Urata-Niijima Now it is 17.6 mag (Aug. 13, W. Hasubick). Brightening slowly. 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. 15 4 25.69 19 31.2 1.420 1.500 74 17.0 5:15 (207, 31) Aug. 22 4 46.48 22 16.5 1.363 1.480 75 16.7 5:08 (206, 28) C/2026 AZ17 ( Bok ) Now it is 16.8 mag (Aug. 12, W. Hasubick). It stays 17 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. 15 16 29.14 17 1.4 2.360 2.693 97 16.8 18:55 (180, 38) Aug. 22 16 34.32 14 59.8 2.390 2.665 94 16.8 18:58 (172, 40) C/2025 J1 ( Borisov ) Now it is 16.6 mag (Mar. 1, Ken-ichi Kadota). It stays 17 mag for a while. It will be getting higher gradually. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 15 7 0.45 22 57.5 4.372 3.627 37 16.8 5:15 (236, 7) Aug. 22 7 4.40 21 40.9 4.302 3.638 43 16.8 5:08 (234, 10) 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. 15 15 6.09 15 34.4 6.656 6.539 79 16.9 18:53 (155, 36) Aug. 22 15 5.70 15 30.6 6.767 6.548 73 17.0 18:58 (147, 33) C/2024 G4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Aug. 12, W. Hasubick). 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. 15 20 4.32 -0 21.3 4.105 5.030 153 17.1 22:29 (180, 55) Aug. 22 20 2.61 -1 10.5 4.154 5.043 148 17.1 22:00 (180, 56) 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 16.7 mag (Aug. 9, Mike Olason). 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. 15 4 2.81 40 16.7 0.422 0.998 75 17.1 5:15 (195, 13) Aug. 22 4 20.27 42 18.8 0.464 1.028 78 17.5 5:08 (194, 11) 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, 2025, 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. 15 4 29.65 40 58.1 8.778 8.499 70 17.2 5:15 (199, 10) Aug. 22 4 32.21 41 18.2 8.667 8.491 76 17.2 5:08 (196, 11) C/2019 E3 ( ATLAS ) Very far object. It stays 18 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. 15 0 32.18 -44 45.8 10.899 11.601 132 17.3 3:00 ( 0, 80) Aug. 22 0 29.13 -44 58.5 10.885 11.618 134 17.3 2:30 ( 0, 80) 235P/LINEAR It became brighter than expected. It was observed at 13 mag from winter to spring. Now it is 15.8 mag (Aug. 4, Toru Yusa). It will fade out rapidly after this. It will be fainter than 18 mag soon. It stays observable in good condition. It may be brighter than this ephemeris still now. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 15 16 45.51 -10 35.2 2.128 2.639 109 17.4 19:11 (180, 66) Aug. 22 16 50.46 -11 6.8 2.241 2.669 103 17.7 18:58 (175, 66) C/2022 E2 ( ATLAS ) It was observed at 12-13 mag for a long time in 2024. Now it is 17.0 mag (Aug. 12, Alfons Diepvens). 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. 15 22 32.99 30 59.7 6.162 6.891 132 17.5 1:02 (180, 24) Aug. 22 22 27.05 30 24.8 6.159 6.935 137 17.5 0:28 (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. 15 14 4.89 66 6.0 5.679 5.378 67 17.5 18:53 (166,-15) Aug. 22 14 12.46 64 21.8 5.702 5.396 67 17.6 18:58 (162,-14) 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. 15 5 11.61 31 15.3 2.996 2.685 62 17.6 5:15 (212, 16) Aug. 22 5 22.77 31 48.4 2.933 2.700 66 17.6 5:08 (210, 16) 84P/Giclas Now it is 16.8 mag (Aug. 6, Ken-ichi Kadota). 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. 15 20 31.94 -24 16.6 1.368 2.352 161 17.7 22:57 (180, 79) Aug. 22 20 26.15 -24 57.9 1.364 2.314 153 17.6 22:23 (180, 80) 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. 15 16 32.92 82 49.0 8.398 8.241 77 17.7 18:54 (180,-28) Aug. 22 16 30.76 81 39.4 8.370 8.240 79 17.7 18:58 (179,-27) C/2023 H5 ( Lemmon ) Now it is 17.8 mag (Aug. 10, Alfons Diepvens). 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. 15 21 2.04 65 10.8 5.173 5.447 100 17.9 23:25 (180,-10) Aug. 22 20 53.84 64 7.8 5.167 5.480 102 17.9 22:50 (180, -9) 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 21.0 mag (Aug. 13, Pan-STARRS 1 telescope, Haleakala). 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. 15 20 3.36 -21 59.9 1.146 2.114 156 21.0 22:28 (180, 77) Aug. 22 20 2.08 -23 6.7 1.187 2.121 149 21.1 22:00 (180, 78)