Comet Observation Database

The Comet Observation Database (COBS) is an online astronomy database of visual and CCD observations of comets. Open to amateur astronomers, it systematically collects sets of parameters of comet observations to make them available to the wider public and the research community.[1] As of September 2025, the database contained over 288,700 observations of more than 1640 comets.[2] It is considered an important resource for analysis of comet behavior, such as changes in brightness as the comets pass through the visual range,[3][4] and one of the most prominent image repositories for amateur astronomers.[5]

The database is hosted by the Črni Vrh Observatory in Slovenia, which originally provided a service to Slovenian astronomers for correct formatting of submissions to the International Comet Quarterly (ICQ). In 2010, this service was upgraded to a database and a decision was made to open the submission to the worldwide public.[6] The submitted data is openly available for viewing, analysis with the associated website's tools or exporting for further analysis.[7] It continues to use the ICQ format for submissions, with automated tools for facilitating correct formatting.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Introducing the Comet Observation database (COBS)". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 21 September 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. ^ Zakrajšek, Jure; Mikuž, Herman; Warell, Johan (2025-07-09). The Comet Observation Database (COBS) - Recent feature upgrades (Report). Bibcode:2025epsc.conf..160Z. doi:10.5194/epsc-dps2025-160.
  3. ^ Seargent, David A. J. (2017). "Observing Known Comets". Visually Observing Comets. Astronomer's Pocket Field Guide. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 71–78. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-45435-1_9. ISBN 978-3-319-45434-4.
  4. ^ Dickinson, David (2018-10-23). The Universe Today Ultimate Guide to Viewing the Cosmos. Page Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62414-545-2.
  5. ^ Hueso, R.; Juaristi, J.; Legarreta, J.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Rojas, J.F.; Erard, S.; Cecconi, B.; Le Sidaner, Pierre (2018). "The Planetary Virtual Observatory and Laboratory (PVOL) and its integration into the Virtual European Solar and Planetary Access (VESPA)". Planetary and Space Science. 150: 22–35. arXiv:1701.01977. doi:10.1016/j.pss.2017.03.014.
  6. ^ Zakrajšek, Jure; Mikuž, Herman (2018-09-21). "Introducing the Comet Observation database (COBS)". British Astronomical Association. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  7. ^ Zakrajšek, Jure; Mikuž, Herman (2018-10-01). "Introducing the Comet Observation database (COBS)". Journal of the British Astronomical Association. 128 (5). ISSN 0007-0297.
  8. ^ Hubbell, Gerald R.; Williams, Richard J.; Billard, Linda M. (2015). "Photometry Projects". Remote Observatories for Amateur Astronomers. Cham: Springer International Publishing. pp. 153–174. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-21906-6_10. ISBN 978-3-319-21905-9.
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