If binoculars are the most usual instruments to locate them, small refractors are able to reveal structure on certain comets. According to the table belownote that an average of two comets per year are visible with such an aperture.
By observing comets and estimating their magnitude with small instruments, the amateur helps the international astronomical community. Sometimes, the IAU website mentions, on its page of comets magnitude estimates, and certain circulars, observations with a simple pair of 50mm binoculars.
Some comet drawings by Jean-Raphaël Gilis and Laurent Ferrero.
The table below indexes potentially visible comets in the range of 60 mm refractors since 1986.
NE = Naked Eye, B = Binoculars, R = Refractor. Example: 50x7B = 7x50 Binoculars
Comet | Instrument | Date | Mag | Observer | Place | Web | Image | Description |
2013 | ||||||||
C/2011 L4 (PANSTARRS) | ON | 14/03 | 1,0 | T. Karhula | Sweden | |||
C/2013 R1 (Lovejoy) | 50x7B | 31/10 | 7,2 | U. Pilz | ||||
2P/Encke | 50x7B | 30/10 | 8,3 | Biver | ||||
2011 | ||||||||
C/2009 P1 (Garradd) | 50x20B | 20/08 | 7,3 | Diepvens | Belgium | JR.Gilis | ||
2010 | ||||||||
C/2009 R1 (McNaught) | 50x10B | 25/06 | 5,2 | Lehky | Czech Republic | |||
2009 | ||||||||
C/2006 W3 (Christensen) | 50x20B | 25/07 | 8,3 | Diepvens | Belgium | |||
C/2007 N3 (Lulin) | 50x10B | 04/02 | 6,4 | Hasubick | Germany | |||
2008 | ||||||||
C/2007 W1 (Boattini) | 50x10B | 05/08 | 7 | M. Meyer | Germany | |||
46P/Wirtanen | 50x10B | 29/01 | 8,4 | J.J.Gonzalez | Spain (43°N) | |||
2007 | ||||||||
8P/Tuttle | 7,5 | |||||||
17P/Holmes | ON | 24/07 | 2,5 | Biver | France | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2007 F1 (LONEOS) | 50x20B | 20/10 | 5,8 | A. Diepvens | Belgium | |||
C/2006 VZ13 | 50x10B | 08/07 | 8 | Biver | France | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2007 E2 (Lovejoy) | 63x9B | 17/04 | 7,8 | Kamerer | Germany | |||
C/2006 P1 (Mc Naught) | ON | 13/01 | -4 | France | ||||
2006 | ||||||||
C/2006 M4 (SWAN) | 50x7B | 22/09 | 7 | Diepvens | Belgium | |||
177P/2006 M3 (Barnard) | 50x7B | 28/08 | 8,3 | Gonzalez | Spain | |||
C/2006 A1 (Pojmanski) | 50x7B | 27/02 | 5 | Biver | SAF | |||
73P (SW) | ||||||||
2005 | ||||||||
C/2003 T4 | 50x7B | 13/03 | 7,9 | Biver | SAF | |||
C/2005 K2 | 50x7B | 11/06 | 9,2 | Biver | SAF | |||
2004 | ||||||||
C/2001 Q2 (Maccholz) | ON | 31/12 | 4,1 | Ferrero | SAF | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2001 Q4 (NEAT) | ON | 12/05 | 3,3 | Biver | SAF | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2002 T7 (LINEAR) | 50x7B | 4,8 | Scarmato | |||||
C/2003 K4 (LINEAR) | 50x7B | 13/07 | 6,9 | Biver | SAF | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2004 F4 (Bradfield) | 50x7B | 23/04 | 3,3 | Biver | SAF | |||
2003 | ||||||||
2P/Encke | 50x10B | 19/11 | 7,2 | C.S. Morris | Canada | Tsukasa Noda | ||
C/2002 Y1 (Juels-Holvorcem) | 50x7B | 31/03 | 6,5 | Biver | SAF | |||
2002 | ||||||||
C/2002 V1 (NEAT) | 50x7B | 30/12 | 8,2 | Biver | SAF | |||
C/2002 X5 (Kudo-Fujikawa) | 50x7B | 29/12 | 6,7 | Kugel | SAF | Tsukasa Noda | ||
C/2002 O6 (SWAN) | 50B | 15/08 | 6,4 | Hasubick | Germany | DE | JR.Gilis | |
C/2002 O4 (Hoenig) | 50B | 15/08 | 7,9 | Hasubick | Germany | DE | JR.Gilis | |
C/2002 F1 (Utsunomya) | 50x10B | 11/04 | 5,6 | J.Bortle | NY,U.S.A. | DE | JR.Gilis | |
C/2002 C1 (Ikeya-Zhang) | ON | 23/03 | 3,5 | Biver | Netherlands | SAF | JR.Gilis | |
2001 | ||||||||
C/2000 WM1 (LINEAR) | 50x7B | 09/12 | 6,3 | J.Serant | France | JR.Gilis | ||
C/2001 A2 (LINEAR) | 50x10B | 01/08 | 7,4 | N.Biver | Netherlands | JR.Gilis | ||
2000 | ||||||||
C/2000 W1 Utsunomiya-Jones | 50x10B | 07/12 | 6,5 | A.Amorim | Brasil | |||
C/1999 T1 (McNaught-Hartley) | 50x7B | 31/12 | 7,7 | N.Biver | France | FR | ||
C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) | 50x10B | 23/07 | 6,4 | N.Biver | France | FR | JR.Gilis | |
1999 | ||||||||
C/1999 N2 (Lynn) | 50x10B | 13/07 | 8 | D.W. Lynn | FR | |||
C/1999 J3 (LINEAR) | 50x7B | 13/10 | 7,1 | J. Kyselý | Tchécoslovaquia | |||
C/1999 H1 (Lee) | 50x7B | 07/10 | 8,7 | J. Kyselý | Tchécoslovaquia | |||
1998 | ||||||||
55P/Tempel-Tuttle | 50B | 25/01 | 7,7 | Hasubick | Germany | |||
21P/Giacobini-Zinner | 63B | 21/08 | 8,2 | Kammerer | Germany | |||
C/1998 U5 (LINEAR) | 63B | 18/11 | 8,6 | Kammerer | Germany | |||
C/1998 J1 (SOHO) | ON ? | Germany | O.Farago | Remarque | ||||
1997 | ||||||||
C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) | ON | 28/03 | -1,3 | Hasubick | Germany | DE | L.Ferrero | |
C/1997 K2 ? | ? | |||||||
1996 | ||||||||
C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) | 50B | 11/06 | 6,1 | Kriebel | Germany | DE | ||
C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) | ON | 25/03 | -0,6 | M.Meyer | Germany | DE | ||
C/1996 Q1 (Tabur) | 50x8B | 27/09 | 5,8 | Richert | Germany | DE | ||
22P/Kopff | 50B | 07/07 | 8,3 | Lüthen | Germany | DE | ||
C/1996 N1 (Brewington) | 60B | 16/07 | 8,9 | Lüthen | Germany | DE | ||
45P/Honda-Mrkos-Padjusakova | 63B | 31/01 | 7,2 | Kammerer | Germany | DE | ||
1995 | ||||||||
122P/de Vico | 50x10B | 19/09 | 6,4 | J.E. Bortle | USA | CZ | Tsukasa Noda | |
6P/d'Arrest | 50x10B | 29/08 | 6,8 | J.E. Bortle | USA | UK | ||
1994 | ||||||||
Impacts Jupiter/SL9 | 50R | 16/07 | ||||||
C/1995 Q1 Bradfield | 50B | 29/09 | 7,5 | Guthier | Germany?North | DE | ||
19P/Borelly | 63B | 06/12 | 7,9 | Kammerer | Germany | DE | ||
2P/Encke | 50x10B | 07/01 | 8,5 | A. Vincent | UK | UK | ||
1993 | ||||||||
Schaumasse | 50B | 17/02 | 8,5 | Möller | Germany | DE | ||
McNaught-Russell | 50B | 26/03 | 6,9 | Möller | Germany | DE | ||
1992 | ||||||||
109/P Swift-Tuttle | 50B | 20/10 | 6,5 | Lüthen | Germany | DE | Tsukasa Noda | JR.Gilis |
C/1992 F1 Tanaka-Machholz | 20x7B ? | 11/05 | 6,7 | T.Tanti | UK | |||
1991 | ||||||||
4P/Faye | 60R | 14/10 | 8,5 | Jahn | Germany | DE | ||
103P/Hartley 2 | 50x8B | 21/10 | 8,9 | S.Beaumont | UK | UK | ||
1990 | ||||||||
C/1989 X1 Austin | ON | 18/05 | 4,9 | van Loo | DE | Tsukasa Noda | JR.Gilis | |
C/1990 K1 Levy | ON | 16/08 | 4,4 | Monz | DE | Tsukasa Noda | JR.Gilis | |
C/1990 N1 Tsuchiya-Kiuchi | 50R | 23/10 | 7,2 | Jahn | Germany | DE | ||
45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova | 50x10B | 01/02 | 7,1 | J. E. Bortle | USA | |||
C/1990 E1 Cernis-Kiuchi-Nakamura | 50x10B | 17/03 | 8,1 | A. Hale | ||||
1989 | ||||||||
23/P Brorsen-Metcalf | 50B | 30/08 | 5,2 | Möller | Germany | DE | JR.Gilis | JR.Gilis |
C/1989 Q1 Okazaki-Levy-Rudenko | ON | 09/11 | 5,5 | Jäger | DE (IT) | Tsukasa Noda | JR.Gilis | |
C/1989 W1 Aarseth-Brewington | 50x7B | 18/12 | 4,2 | Yugoslavia | (DE) | Tsukasa Noda | ||
1988 | ||||||||
C/1988 A1 Liller | ON | 22/04 | 5,4 | Bh.Koch | DE | JR.Gilis | JR.Gilis | |
C/1988 J Machholz | 63x9B | 03/09 | 7,4 | R. H. McNaught | Australia (France?) | JR.Gilis | ||
1987 | ||||||||
19P/Borelly | 50B | 20/12 | 7,5 | Bh.Koch | DE | |||
Bradfield | ON | 15/12 | 5 | Jäger | DE | Tsukasa Noda | ||
Encke | 50x7B | 21/07 | 7,1 | GW.Wolf | New Zealand | US | ||
1986 | ||||||||
P/Halley | ON | 06/12 | 5,5 | Hasubick | Germany | DE | JR.Gilis | JR.Gilis |
Here are interesting links and sites from which this table was built, in addition to personal observations.
French sites :
Binocular Comets : Marc Chapelet's home page ( comets brighter than 8th magnitude ) and Philippe Roux's home page ( binocular comets ).
Comets observing reports of "Société astronomique de France" .
Julien Leroux website, comets "hunting".
Other websites
German comet observations archives. Archives since 1984 (DE in the table) are available in ICQ format .
Photographing bright comets with a teleobjective, by Tsukasa Noda (Japan)
Comet SOHO 1998 J1 photographed in Stuttgart (Germany) and in Australia (1),
(2), under better conditions !