Weekly Information about Bright Comets (2026 Aug. 22: North)

Japanese version Home page	Updated on August 19, 2026
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Best time and the azimuth, altitude (A,h) are at lat. 35 deg in the Northern Hemisphere. Azimuth indicates 0 for south, 90 for west, 180 for north, 270 for east.

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. 22 22 12.16 -32 11.7 0.441 1.433 159 8.2 0:13 ( 0, 23) Aug. 29 22 18.29 -33 50.2 0.465 1.446 155 8.4 23:49 ( 0, 21) 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 8.4 mag (Aug. 18, Seiichi Yoshida). 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. 22 3 5.67 9 24.5 1.167 1.694 101 8.8 3:54 (323, 60) Aug. 29 3 14.90 9 6.6 1.137 1.720 106 9.5 4:01 (335, 62) 169P/NEAT It approached to Earth down to 0.17 a.u. mid August. 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. 22 11 8.03 30 27.9 0.206 0.827 23 10.7 20:10 (124, 4) Aug. 29 10 10.57 21 35.3 0.271 0.748 12 10.4 4:01 (237, -7) (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. 22 9 17.37 12 30.2 1.366 0.421 11 14.3 3:54 (248, -9) Aug. 29 10 19.33 6 36.4 1.218 0.220 3 12.4 4:01 (248,-18) 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. 22 3 11.79 14 31.3 1.673 2.087 99 12.7 3:54 (314, 63) Aug. 29 3 15.21 14 47.6 1.637 2.134 104 12.9 4:01 (329, 67) 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. 22 5 25.51 -12 53.9 4.628 4.441 73 12.8 3:54 (304, 21) Aug. 29 5 30.17 -12 55.7 4.521 4.412 77 12.7 4:01 (310, 26) 260P/McNaught Now it is 13.7 mag (Aug. 8, Ken-ichi Kadota). It will fade out rapidly after this. 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. 22 4 2.29 30 41.8 1.122 1.431 84 13.0 3:54 (270, 63) Aug. 29 4 22.34 33 14.2 1.103 1.443 86 13.0 4:01 (266, 66) 78P/Gehrels 2 Now it is 13.6 mag (July 24, Hiroshi Abe). It stays 14 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. 22 6 6.02 20 15.6 2.424 2.060 57 13.2 3:54 (267, 33) Aug. 29 6 20.73 19 53.2 2.376 2.074 60 13.2 4:01 (270, 37) 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. 22 18 47.22 43 29.7 3.509 3.954 108 13.5 20:44 (180, 81) Aug. 29 18 40.59 43 26.6 3.542 3.942 106 13.5 20:10 (180, 82) 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 15.6 mag (July 17, Thomas Lehmann). 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. 22 3 10.31 -18 47.9 1.254 1.817 106 14.3 3:54 (338, 33) Aug. 29 2 58.98 -18 31.0 1.080 1.755 114 13.7 4:01 (351, 36) C/2023 R1 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 13.2 mag (Aug. 5, Osamu Miyazaki). Fading slowly. It will be unobservable in October in the Northern Hemisphere, or in November in the Southern Hemisphere. But it will be observable again in December. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 22 15 36.69 -14 11.9 3.681 3.761 86 14.2 20:10 ( 44, 28) Aug. 29 15 32.91 -14 49.6 3.838 3.782 79 14.3 19:59 ( 48, 25) 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. 22 11 37.49 -4 17.7 7.187 6.318 28 14.3 20:10 ( 91,-10) Aug. 29 11 42.01 -4 47.2 7.233 6.318 23 14.3 19:59 ( 93,-12) 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 14 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. 22 7 6.19 -69 28.4 13.704 13.689 87 14.5 3:54 (337,-28) Aug. 29 7 12.11 -69 48.6 13.699 13.668 86 14.5 4:01 (339,-26) 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. 22 20 49.97 49 41.4 5.078 5.600 116 14.7 22:46 (180, 75) Aug. 29 20 39.47 49 38.7 5.048 5.567 116 14.7 22:08 (180, 75) 63P/Wild 1 Now it is 13.8 mag (Aug. 2, Thomas Lehmann). Fading gradually. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in December. 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. 22 11 35.68 0 8.5 2.889 2.028 25 14.7 20:10 ( 95, -7) Aug. 29 11 49.83 -2 7.4 2.932 2.045 23 14.8 19:59 ( 94, -9) C/2026 A2 ( Bok ) It will brighten up to 13 mag from autumn to winter. Now it is 15.2 mag (Aug. 15, 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. 22 16 10.06 76 20.2 2.422 2.437 78 15.0 20:10 (170, 46) Aug. 29 16 20.72 75 25.7 2.342 2.388 80 14.8 19:59 (169, 47) 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. 22 9 50.81 24 9.9 3.148 2.172 12 15.1 3:54 (233, -8) Aug. 29 10 6.90 22 47.4 3.132 2.167 14 15.0 4:01 (237, -5) C/2022 QE78 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.5 mag (June 14, Alfons Diepvens). It stays 16 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. 22 10 34.45 27 51.7 6.981 6.024 17 15.5 20:10 (126, -2) Aug. 29 10 40.96 27 34.4 6.996 6.045 18 15.5 19:59 (127, -4) 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. It will be fainter than 18 mag in November. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is not observable now, but it will appear in September. 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. 22 7 35.57 -18 12.2 2.906 2.340 47 15.6 3:54 (288, -7) Aug. 29 7 37.03 -19 22.5 2.941 2.438 51 15.9 4:01 (293, -1) C/2022 N2 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 16.2 mag (Aug. 8, 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. 22 6 56.56 26 17.5 5.709 5.059 45 15.8 3:54 (255, 26) Aug. 29 7 2.67 26 9.5 5.666 5.096 51 15.8 4:01 (258, 31) C/2021 G2 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 15.6 mag (Aug. 15, Toru Yusa). 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. 22 16 58.18 14 47.9 7.015 7.259 99 15.9 20:10 ( 44, 64) Aug. 29 16 58.89 14 28.3 7.139 7.294 94 15.9 19:59 ( 50, 61) 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. 22 13 7.14 1 22.9 5.522 4.887 46 16.1 20:10 ( 83, 12) Aug. 29 13 12.27 0 51.1 5.542 4.834 41 16.1 19:59 ( 84, 9) C/2025 M2 ( PanSTARRS ) It is expected to brighten up to 12 mag from 2027 to 2028. Now it is 16.5 mag (Aug. 12, ATLAS South Africa). 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. 22 19 21.47 -20 47.0 4.380 5.199 140 16.4 21:19 ( 0, 34) Aug. 29 19 13.42 -20 58.5 4.419 5.148 131 16.3 20:43 ( 0, 34) 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 unobservable in November. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 22 4 46.48 22 16.5 1.363 1.480 75 16.7 3:54 (277, 50) Aug. 29 5 8.13 25 1.6 1.311 1.465 77 16.4 4:01 (275, 54) 114P/Wiseman-Skiff Now it is 16.6 mag (Aug. 11, Alfons Diepvens). 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. But it will become high in autumn. Date(TT) R.A. (2000) Decl. Delta r Elong. m1 Best Time(A, h) Aug. 22 6 41.34 28 22.2 2.045 1.590 49 16.6 3:54 (254, 30) Aug. 29 7 3.43 27 0.1 2.001 1.580 51 16.5 4:01 (257, 32) 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. 22 0 51.74 -6 4.9 2.724 3.540 137 16.7 2:52 ( 0, 49) Aug. 29 0 49.21 -6 29.1 2.680 3.556 145 16.7 2:22 ( 0, 49) 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. 22 16 34.32 14 59.8 2.390 2.665 94 16.8 20:10 ( 54, 60) Aug. 29 16 40.53 12 56.4 2.424 2.638 90 16.7 19:59 ( 54, 57) 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. 22 7 4.40 21 40.9 4.302 3.638 43 16.8 3:54 (258, 22) Aug. 29 7 7.86 20 22.0 4.224 3.650 49 16.8 4:01 (263, 28) C/2024 G6 ( ATLAS ) Now it is 17.1 mag (Aug. 12, Alfons Diepvens). 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. 22 15 5.70 15 30.6 6.767 6.548 73 17.0 20:10 ( 77, 44) Aug. 29 15 5.79 15 26.0 6.874 6.557 67 17.0 19:59 ( 80, 41) C/2024 G4 ( PanSTARRS ) Now it is 17.2 mag (Aug. 12, W. Hasubick). Fading slowly. 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. 22 20 2.61 -1 10.5 4.154 5.043 148 17.1 22:00 ( 0, 54) Aug. 29 20 1.33 -2 0.6 4.216 5.056 142 17.2 21:31 ( 0, 53) 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. 22 4 32.21 41 18.2 8.667 8.491 76 17.2 3:54 (246, 58) Aug. 29 4 34.38 41 38.1 8.554 8.483 82 17.2 4:01 (245, 64) 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. 22 0 29.13 -44 58.5 10.885 11.618 134 17.3 2:30 ( 0, 10) Aug. 29 0 25.81 -45 9.1 10.883 11.635 136 17.3 1:59 ( 0, 10) 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. 22 4 20.27 42 18.8 0.464 1.028 78 17.5 3:54 (244, 61) Aug. 29 4 35.38 43 52.9 0.502 1.065 82 17.8 4:01 (240, 64) 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). Fading slowly. It will be fainter than 18 mag in October. 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. 22 22 27.05 30 24.8 6.159 6.935 137 17.5 0:28 ( 0, 86) Aug. 29 22 21.13 29 43.7 6.169 6.980 140 17.5 23:50 ( 0, 85) 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. 22 20 26.15 -24 57.9 1.364 2.314 153 17.6 22:23 ( 0, 30) Aug. 29 20 21.27 -25 32.3 1.370 2.277 145 17.6 21:51 ( 0, 30) 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. 22 14 12.46 64 21.8 5.702 5.396 67 17.6 20:10 (148, 44) Aug. 29 14 20.16 62 39.7 5.725 5.413 67 17.6 19:59 (146, 43) 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. 22 5 22.77 31 48.4 2.933 2.700 66 17.6 3:54 (259, 47) Aug. 29 5 33.40 32 19.4 2.867 2.716 71 17.6 4:01 (260, 52) C/2025 B2 ( Borisov ) Now it is 17.7 mag (Aug. 8, ATLAS-TDO). 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. 22 16 30.76 81 39.4 8.370 8.240 79 17.7 20:10 (175, 42) Aug. 29 16 31.39 80 28.5 8.342 8.239 80 17.7 19:59 (173, 43) 235P/LINEAR It became brighter than expected. It was observed at 13 mag from winter to spring. Now it is 16.0 mag (Aug. 8, Andrew Pearce). It will fade out rapidly after this. It will be fainter than 18 mag soon. In the Southern Hemisphere, 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. 22 16 50.46 -11 6.8 2.241 2.669 103 17.7 20:10 ( 26, 40) Aug. 29 16 56.23 -11 38.2 2.356 2.699 98 18.0 19:59 ( 29, 38) 162P/Siding Spring Now it is 17.4 mag (Aug. 9, Alfons Diepvens). It stays 18 mag for a while. In the Northern Hemisphere, it will be getting higher gradually. 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. 22 8 2.47 38 7.5 2.357 1.671 37 17.7 3:54 (236, 19) Aug. 29 8 24.68 38 0.5 2.367 1.717 39 17.8 4:01 (238, 21) 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. 22 20 53.84 64 7.8 5.167 5.480 102 17.9 22:50 (180, 61) Aug. 29 20 46.67 62 54.6 5.167 5.514 104 17.9 22:15 (180, 62) 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. 22 20 2.08 -23 6.7 1.187 2.121 149 21.1 22:00 ( 0, 32) Aug. 29 20 2.15 -24 3.5 1.238 2.128 142 21.2 21:32 ( 0, 31)