As of 2026-10-12, 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann tops the list with 60,000 m.
- #1 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann — 60,000 m
comet
Comet 29P/Schwassmann–Wachmann, also known as Schwassmann–Wachmann 1, was discovered on November 15, 1927, by Arnold Schwassmann and Arno Arthur Wachmann at the Hamburg Observatory in Bergedorf, Germany. It is a large comet 60 km in diameter and is known for being observable throughout the whole orbit and having frequent outbursts where it brightens by 2-3 magnitudes. The most recent outbursts were in February 2026, April 2026, and May 2026. The comet came to solar conjunction on 26... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #2 C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) — 60,000 m
comet
C/2011 KP36 (Spacewatch) is a distant long-period comet that completes an orbit once every 238 years around the Sun. With a nucleus diameter of 55.1 km (34.2 mi), it is one of the largest comets ever discovered. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #3 28P/Neujmin — 21,400 m
comet
28P/Neujmin, also known as Neujmin 1, is a large 21-km periodic comet that orbits the Sun once every 18 years. With a perihelion distance of 1.6 AU (240 million km), this comet does not get closer than about 0.571 AU (85.4 million km) from Earth. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #4 65P/Gunn — 10,800 m
comet
65P/Gunn is a Jupiter-family comet orbiting the Sun every 7.67 years inside the main asteroid belt between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #5 10P/Tempel — 10,600 m
comet
10P/Tempel, also known as Tempel 2, is a large Jupiter-family comet roughly 10 km in diameter with a 5.4 year orbit around the Sun. It was discovered on 4 July 1873 by Wilhelm Tempel. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #6 99P/Kowal — 10,200 m
comet
99P/Kowal, also known as Kowal 1, is a periodic comet in the Solar System that orbits out by Jupiter and has a 15 year orbital period. It has been observed regularly since 2019. Its most recent perihelion occurred in April 2022, and it is expected to return by May 2037. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #7 117P/Helin–Roman–Alu — 9,000 m
comet
117P/Helin–Roman–Alu, also known as Helin–Roman–Alu 1, is a Jupiter-family comet with an 8.38-year orbit around the Sun. It is also classified as a quasi-Hilda comet. It is the second of three comets co-discovered by Eleanor F. Helin, Brian P. Roman, and Jeff Alu. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #8 49P/Arend–Rigaux — 8,480 m
solar system comet
49P/Arend–Rigaux is a periodic comet with a 6.75-year orbit around the Sun. It is the first of three comets discovered by Belgian astronomer Sylvain Arend and the only one for Fernand Rigaux. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #9 32P/Comas Solà — 8,400 m
comet
32P/Comas Solà is a Jupiter-family comet with a current orbital period of 9.7 years around the Sun. It is the second of two comets discovered by Spanish astronomer, Josep Comas Solà. Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata - #10 151P/Helin — 8,400 m
comet
This is a list of periodic comets that were numbered by the Minor Planet Center after having been observed on at least two occasions. Their orbital periods vary from 3.2 to 366 years. As of August 2026, there are 516 numbered comets (1P–516P). There are 442 Jupiter-family comets (JFCs), 45 Encke-type comets (ETCs), 15 Halley-type comets (HTCs), five Chiron-type comets (CTCs), and one long-period comet. 79 bodies are also near-Earth comets (NECs). In addition, nine numbered comets are... Read more on Wikipedia.
Wikidata