SOHO Comets 2023

The table list the provisional number for the comet, the day (UT) and month of the first (discovery) observation, the year and comet identification, the LASCO or STEREO coronagraph on which it was discovered, the discoverer (additional names are independent discoverers), with the number of their discoveries given in brackets following the name, and finally the date of discovery.

SOHO Observed   Des C  G  Observers							Discovered
4599 02/01/2023     C2 O  Jiangao Ruan							January 2
4600 03/01/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							January 3
4601 03/01/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						January 3
4602 07/01/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						January 7
4603 08/01/2023     C3 K  Trygve Prestgard						January 8
4604 10/01/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							January 10
4605 14/01/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						January 14
4649 06/01/2023 A2  SW O  Vladimir Bezugly						January 15
4606 16/01/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							January 16
4607 18/01/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							January 18
4608 24/01/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							January 24
4609 26/01/2023     C2 Y  Worachate Boonplod						January 26
     28/01/2023     C3 O  Worachate Boonplod						January 28
     29/01/2023     C3 O  Worachate Boonplod						January 29
     29/01/2023     C3 O  Worachate Boonplod						January 29
     30/01/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							January 30
     30/01/2023     C3 O  Jiangao Ruan							January 30
     30/01/2023     C3 O  Hanjie Tan							January 30
4642 06/02/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							February 6
     31/01/2023     C3 O  Jiangao Ruan							February 7
4643 08/02/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						February 8
4644 09/02/2023     C3 O  Hanjie Tan							February 9
4645 15/02/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						February 15
4646 21/02/2023     C3 K  Hanjie Tan							February 21
4647 21/02/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							February 21
4648 23/02/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						February 23
4652 06/03/2023     C3 K  Zesheng Yang							March 6
4653 06/03/2023     C3 K  Hanjie Tan							March 6
4654 14/03/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						March 14
4655 14/03/2023     C3 K  Hanjie Tan							March 14
4656 18/03/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan							March 18
     17/03/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan							March 18
4657 19/03/2023     C2 K  Worachate Boonplod						March 19
4658 20/03/2023 F2  C3 Y  Hanjie Tan							March 21
4659 21/03/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						March 21
4660 23/03/2023     C3 K  Jiangao Ruan							March 23
4661 31/03/2001     C2 O  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     08/06/2005     C2 Y  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     03/07/2000     C2 O  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     13/10/2001     C2 Y  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     15/04/2004     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     27/11/2003     C2 Y  Hanjie Tan							March 25
4641 05/11/1998     C2 O  Hanjie Tan							March 25
     29/03/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							March 29
     02/04/2023     C2 K  Zesheng Yang							April 2
     06/04/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							April 6
     25/07/2011     C3 K  Jiangao Ruan							April 6
     07/04/2023     C3 K  Hanjie Tan							April 7
     09/04/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan, Robert Pickard					April 9
     12/04/2023     C2 K  Worachate Boonplod						April 12
     14/04/2023     C2 Y  Hanjie Tan							April 14
     16/04/2023     C2 Y  Zesheng Yang							April 16
     17/04/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan							April 17
     18/04/2023     C2 K  Robert Pickard						April 18
     05/04/2023     SW O  Rob Matson							April 18 = 2018 HT3
     20/04/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan, Zesheng Yang, Robert Pickard			April 20
     20/04/2023     C2 K  Zesheng Yang							April 20
     23/04/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan							April 23
     24/04/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							April 24
     26/04/2023     C2 K  Jiangao Ruan							April 26
     27/04/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							April 27
     28/04/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							April 28
     01/05/2023     C2 K  Zesheng Yang							May 1
     02/05/2023     C2 K  Michal Biesiada						May 2
     04/05/2011     C2 K  Trygve Prestgard						May 3
     08/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 8
     09/05/2023     C2 K  Zesheng Yang							May 9
     09/05/2023     C2 K  Zesheng Yang							May 9
     12/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 12
     14/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 14
     15/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 15
     18/05/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 18
     18/05/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 18
     19/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 19
     22/05/2023     C3 K  Hanjie Tan							May 22
     22/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 22
     22/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 22
     23/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 23
     24/05/2023     C2 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 24
     25/05/2023     C3 K  Jiangao Ruan							May 25
     25/05/2023     C3 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 26
     26/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan, Jiangao Ruan, Robert Pickard			May 26	May not be a comet
     16/11/2005     C3 K  Jiangao Ruan							May 27
     28/11/2005     C3 K  Jiangao Ruan							May 27
     27/05/2023     C2 K  Hanjie Tan							May 27
     28/05/2023     C2 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 28
     29/05/2023     C2 K  Worachate Boonplod						May 29
     31/05/2023     C2 Y  Worachate Boonplod						May 31

The column headed Des is the half month or other designation of the comet. The column headed C gives the SOHO instrument (C2 or C3 for the LASCO coronagraphs, SW for SWAN, T1 or T2 for STEREO) that the comet was discovered in. The column headed G indicates if it is a provisional member of the Kreutz group (K), Meyer group (Y), Marsden group (D), Kracht (R) or other comet (O). P in the SOHO number column indicates the discovery is pending, C indicates that it is confirmed, but not yet numbered, U indicates that is was not confirmed, X that it was confirmed, but there were insufficient observations.

Note that my observer count also includes X/ comets which are not counted as confirmed comets by the SOHO team. Where two or more people report discoveries nearly simultaneously, up to the first three observers are credited here. Where discoverers are clearly not following the SOHO or BAA Comet Section guidelines, they are not credited here at all. If initial reports don't include sufficient positions others may also be credited.

Official milestones:

It is possible that there are further comets to be found in the archival data, most likely non-group comets, but there may still be some Kreutz comets. AI scanning during 2022 is however likely to have mopped most of them up.


Published by Jonathan Shanklin. Jon Shanklin - jds@ast.cam.ac.uk