C/1942 C1
C/1942 C1 (Whipple-Bernasconi-Kulin)
Not currently visible. Last report 30836 days ago at mag 39.5. Historic peak was mag 5.9. Typical backyard telescopes will not show it. HST, JWST, or an 8–10 m class telescope might recover it with a good ephemeris.
Right ascension
—
J2000
Declination
—
J2000
Estimated magnitude
39.5
Professional survey · COBS consensus
Confidence
33
Class E · priority 60
Observations
13
Arc unknown
Last observation
30836d ago
Tue, 14 Apr 1942 20:09:35 GMT · COBS consensus
Perihelion
1942-03-22
1.470 au
Peak window
1942-02-22 → 1942-03-25
COBS peak mag 5.9 on 1942-02-25 · perihelion 1942-03-22. Window is those dates ±3 days — not a light-curve fit.
Historic peak
5.9
COBS / analyzed peak 1942-02-25
Catalog ingest
2d ago
Venator last wrote this row 2026-09-14 20:00:18 UTC
Light curve
Brightness over time (V mag)
Gold = reported observations. Steel dashed family = ensemble (nominal / outburst / fade / disruption).
Tail length
Converted to degrees from COBS (d / arcmin / arcsec). Empty until analysis has pulled the archive.
Ensemble is a first-pass H0/n photometric model plus observed samples — not a trained ML forecast yet. The background analyzer walks the catalog one object at a time so COBS is not flooded. Disruption track rises after perihelion to stand in for solar-wind stripping.
Orbital elements
q
1.470 au
e
1.0000
i
77.50°
Ω
340.00°
ω
224.00°
a
—
MOID
—
H
—
H0 / n
—
NEO score
—
PHA score
—
RMS
—
Elongation
—
Reporting sources
COBS comet list
okComet Observation Database magnitudes and perihelion data for the full COBS list (active and inactive).
Name history
C/1942 C1 (Whipple-Bernasconi-Kulin)
Informal: Whipple-Bernasconi-Kulin
C/1942 C1 · 2026-09-14 18:27:57 UTC → current
Discoverers
Discoverer · parsed-name · 2026-09-14 18:27:57 UTC → current
Contributors
Visual Observer · BEY · 13 reports · last 30836d ago
Pips are observation weight on this object (log of report count). Hover for catalog-wide weight.