Comet 4P/Faye and tail

Explore the Night with Bob King

Making Time for Morning Comets

If you like mixing comets with the quietude of observing in the small hours, September opens with five fuzzy vagabonds just waiting for a visit.

Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko

Solar System

Comet Watch 2021

If you own an 8-inch or larger telescope you might see more than a dozen new and returning comets this year, including one potential naked-eye candidate.

Comets

Comets to Catch in 2019

We peek ahead to see what comets await in 2019. Bright ones will be sparse, but several nice objects, including Comet Iwamoto (C/2018 Y1) and Comet Africano (C/2018 W2), will keep things lively.

Celestial News & Events

Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Blows Its Top . . . Again!

An otherwise faint and distant periodic comet underwent a bright outburst at the end of last month. Now it's visible in amateur telescopes at nightfall.