C/1949 N1
C/1949 N1 (Bappu-Bok-Newkirk)
Not currently visible. Last report 27921 days ago at mag 41.2. Historic peak was mag 16.1. 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
41.2
Professional survey · COBS consensus
Confidence
33
Class E · priority 60
Observations
68
Arc unknown
Last observation
27921d ago
Fri, 07 Apr 1950 20:38:24 GMT · COBS consensus
Perihelion
1949-11-03
2.000 au
Peak window
1949-10-31 → 1950-02-05
COBS peak mag 16.1 on 1950-02-02 · perihelion 1949-11-03. Window is those dates ±3 days — not a light-curve fit.
Historic peak
16.1
COBS / analyzed peak 1950-02-02
Catalog ingest
10h ago
Venator last wrote this row 2026-09-16 13:20:18 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
2.000 au
e
0.9980
i
105.00°
Ω
309.00°
ω
89.00°
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/1949 N1 (Bappu-Bok-Newkirk)
Informal: Bappu-Bok-Newkirk
C/1949 N1 · 2026-09-14 18:27:57 UTC → current
Discoverers
Discoverer · parsed-name · 2026-09-14 18:27:57 UTC → current
Contributors
Visual Observer · BEY · 68 reports · last 27921d ago
Pips are observation weight on this object (log of report count). Hover for catalog-wide weight.