This page displays the real-time positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets in your local sky. It also tracks the brightest comets currently visible —whether they’re visible through an amateur telescope (magnitude < 15) or even visible to the naked eye (magnitude < 6). The finder updates automatically every 10 seconds. You’ll see each comet’s live brightness (in magnitudes) and precise coordinates (RA/Dec and Alt/Az), using data sourced from the COBS database and NASA’s JPL Horizons System. This tool is free for everyone. If you find it helpful, your support helps me continue creating resources like this—PayPal donations are always appreciated—and your feedback is always welcome.
Legend — what the labels mean
RA (JNow)
Right Ascension: the object’s “sky longitude”, in hours:minutes:seconds.
“JNow” means it’s corrected to the current date (precession etc.).
Dec (JNow)
Declination: the object’s “sky latitude”, in degrees:arcminutes:arcseconds,
also adjusted to the current date.
Alt
Altitude above your horizon: 0° at the horizon, +90° overhead, negative
values mean the object is below the horizon.
Az
Azimuth on the compass: 0° = North, 90° = East, 180° = South, 270° = West.
Where to look?
A short hint based on Alt/Az to help you point your telescope or binoculars.
Observed mag (COBS)
Most recent community–reported brightness of a comet from COBS.
Smaller number = brighter object.
Predicted mag (JPL)
Model–based predicted brightness for a comet from JPL.
Useful to compare with the observed value.
Magnitude (V)
Visual magnitude in the V-band (for Sun, Moon and planets).
Smaller (even negative) values mean brighter.
Δ Earth (au)
Distance from Earth in astronomical units (au).
1 au ≈ 150 million km, roughly the Earth–Sun distance.
Δ Earth (km / mi)
Same Earth distance as above, converted into kilometers and miles.
r Sun (au)
Distance from the Sun in astronomical units.
This is the object’s current distance along its orbit around the Sun.
r Sun (km / mi)
Same Sun distance as above, converted into kilometers and miles.
Speed (km/s)
Line-of-sight speed relative to Earth in kilometers per second.
Positive means the object is moving towards Earth, negative means away.
Speed (mi/s)
Same speed as above, in miles per second.
Phase
For the Moon: the illuminated fraction of the lunar disc, in percent.
0% = New Moon, 100% = Full Moon.
Phase angle
Sun–object–Earth angle (in degrees). Around 0° looks “full”,
around 90° looks half-lit, and near 180° is mostly backlit.
Sunrise / Sunset
The next local times when the Sun rises and sets at your observing location.
Moonrise / Moonset
The next local times when the Moon rises and sets at your observing location.
Source: JPL Horizons and COBS
JPL Horizons provides the precise orbits and predicted magnitudes; COBS
provides recent visual brightness estimates from observers worldwide.
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