C/1993 K1
C/1993 K1 (Shoemaker-Levy)
Not currently visible. Last report 12152 days ago at mag 34.8. Historic peak was mag 19.2. 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
34.8
Professional survey · COBS consensus
Confidence
33
Class E · priority 60
Observations
4
Arc unknown
Last observation
12152d ago
Thu, 10 Jun 1993 04:33:35 GMT · COBS consensus
Perihelion
1994-02-01
4.870 au
Peak window
1994-01-29 → 1994-05-03
COBS peak mag 19.2 on 1994-04-30 · perihelion 1994-02-01. Window is those dates ±3 days — not a light-curve fit.
Historic peak
19.2
COBS / analyzed peak 1994-04-30
Catalog ingest
12h 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.
No tail measures stored yet for this object.
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
4.870 au
e
0.9980
i
67.40°
Ω
30.20°
ω
233.00°
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/1993 K1 (Shoemaker-Levy)
Informal: Shoemaker-Levy
C/1993 K1 · 2026-09-14 18:27:58 UTC → current
Discoverers
Discoverer · parsed-name · 2026-09-14 18:27:58 UTC → current
Contributors
Visual Observer · SCO01 · 3 reports · last 12168d ago
Visual Observer · HAL · 1 reports · last 12152d ago
Pips are observation weight on this object (log of report count). Hover for catalog-wide weight.