Comets 2026: which ones you can see now

Comets are lumps of ice and dust on long orbits around the Sun. Near it the ice evaporates and head and tail begin to glow. Here are all comets that get brighter than magnitude 10 in the next twelve months without hiding in the Sun's glare, week by week with constellation and direction. Orbits as of 19 October 2026.

45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova

Brightest at about magnitude 8.5 around 27 August 2027, in a telescope. Closest to the Sun on 31 August 2027, 0.6 AU from it. From both hemispheres.

Week	Magnitude	Constellation	Angle from the Sun	Visible	Distance
2 August 2027	10.5 mag	Taurus	53°	morning	86 million km
9 August 2027	9.7 mag	Orion	45°	morning	97 million km
16 August 2027	9.1 mag	Gemini	40°	morning	112 million km
23 August 2027	8.6 mag	Gemini	35°	morning	131 million km
30 August 2027	8.5 mag	Cancer	32°	morning	151 million km
6 September 2027	8.9 mag	Cancer	30°	morning	172 million km
13 September 2027	9.8 mag	Leo	28°	morning	192 million km

Show it on the star map

161P/Hartley-IRAS

Brightest at about magnitude 9.7 around 19 October 2026, in a telescope. Closest to the Sun on 27 November 2026, 1.3 AU from it. From both hemispheres.

Week	Magnitude	Constellation	Angle from the Sun	Visible	Distance
19 October 2026	9.7 mag	Delphinus	109°	evening	101 million km
26 October 2026	9.9 mag	Aquila	96°	evening	121 million km
2 November 2026	10.2 mag	Aquila	85°	evening	141 million km
9 November 2026	10.3 mag	Aquila	77°	evening	162 million km

Show it on the star map

To be honest: how bright a comet gets can only be roughly predicted. The Minor Planet Center's values are averages; a comet can stay several magnitudes fainter or suddenly flare up. Under a dark sky the naked eye reaches about magnitude 6, binoculars 8 to 9, a small telescope 10 or 11; a comet is a diffuse glow and looks fainter than a star of the same magnitude.