cometiste

Cometiste is a term used to describe a person who studies, observes, or has a particular interest in comets. It is not a standard term in formal astronomical literature and is more commonly found in French-language circles or in informal discussions among amateur astronomers. In English, speakers usually describe such a person as a comet researcher, comet observer, or simply an amateur astronomer focused on comets; cometiste and its anglicized forms are rare and may be treated as loanwords or neologisms.

The word appears to derive from the French comète and the agent-noun suffix -iste, analogous to other -iste formations. Because it lacks wide standardization, its exact scope can vary: some users apply it to hobbyists who track comet apparitions, while others apply it to professionals whose specialty is cometary science, such as orbital dynamics, comet compositions, or historical observations.

In practice, a cometiste typically engages in activities such as monitoring new or returning comets, recording brightness and morphology, contributing data to citizen-science initiatives, and studying orbital elements or historical records of comet observations. They may work independently or within observatories, universities, or astronomy clubs. Notable figures in comet science are usually described by their professional titles (astronomer, planetary scientist) rather than the umbrella label 'cometiste.'

See also: Comet, Cometary science, Amateur astronomy, Celestial mechanics.

This is a concise overview; the term's use remains informal and regional rather than a formal category in most encyclopedic sources.