Latest Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is currently in the constellation of Centaurus. The current Right Ascension of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is 13h 53m 41s and the Declination is -52° 56’ 16” (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The current estimated magnitude of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is 29.96 (JPL).
Summary of key facts about Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) [tip: you can also create a Quick Access page for this data if you access it frequently and would like to have a simpler view]:
- 20D/Westphal (Lost) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change].
- Given its current magnitude, 20D/Westphal (Lost) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- See also 20D/Westphal (Lost) rise and set times.
- Go to interactive sky chart
If you need to access this information frequently for your observations, you can create a simple customized Quick Access page, so that you can easily bookmark it in your browser favorites or add a shortcut to your mobile phones' home screen.
Additional information about Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) available on TheSkyLive:
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Position and Finder Charts
Below we provide Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) finder charts showing where the object is right now in the sky with respect to the brightest stars. The first finder chart has a field of view of 50 degrees, while the second one has a field of view of 10 degrees. Click on each finder chart to access a full screen interactive Online Planetarium.
Field of view: 50x30 degrees
View fullscreen
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
View fullscreen
Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Earth is currently 3,769,954,916 kilometers, equivalent to 25.200592 Astronomical Units. Light takes 3 hours, 29 minutes and 35.2160 seconds to travel from Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest approach of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) to Earth
Between January 2013 and December 2100, the closest approach of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) to Earth happens on Wed Apr 18 2096 at a distance of 2.068993 Astronomical Units, or 309,516,961 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) brightness
The current visual magnitude of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is 29.96.
The observed magnitude and coma diameter values are derived from the Comet Observers Database by averaging the values reported in recent observations (more recent than 4 days), when available. The Estimated Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of comets. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Estimated Magnitude as a directional indication. We acknowledge with thanks the comet observations from the COBS Comet Observation Database contributed by observers worldwide and used in this table to report recent comet observations.
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost), according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) rise and set times
Location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
Latitude: 51° 28’ 47” N
Longitude: 0° 00’ 00” E
Timezone: Europe/London
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is currently not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]
The rise and set times are defined as the time at which the upper limb of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) touches the horizon, considering the effect of the atmospheric refraction. As the atmospheric conditions cannot be modeled precisely the times reported here should be considered correct with an approximation of few minutes.
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) at epoch 01 January 1970 00:00 UTC (JD: 2420080.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.91983119 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 40.89006106° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 1.25401276 AU 187,597,639 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q |
30.03029210 AU 4,492,467,764 km |
| Semi-major axis | a |
15.64215243 AU 2,340,032,701 km |
| Orbital period | period |
61.8700 years 22,596.6052 days |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1913-Nov-26 18:57:58 2,420,098.2903 JD |
| Next perihelion transit | 1975-Oct-09 09:29 2,442,694.8954 JD |
|
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 57.08095497142° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 348.00644693114° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 359.71657281861° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.01593160°/day |
Visualization of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
| Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 May 10 | 13h 55m 20s | -53° 04’ 12” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 11 | 13h 55m 08s | -53° 03’ 15” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 12 | 13h 54m 55s | -53° 02’ 17” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 13 | 13h 54m 42s | -53° 01’ 17” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 14 | 13h 54m 29s | -53° 00’ 15” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 15 | 13h 54m 16s | -52° 59’ 13” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 16 | 13h 54m 03s | -52° 58’ 09” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 17 | 13h 53m 51s | -52° 57’ 06” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 18 | 13h 53m 39s | -52° 55’ 59” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 19 | 13h 53m 26s | -52° 54’ 51” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 20 | 13h 53m 13s | -52° 53’ 44” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 21 | 13h 53m 02s | -52° 52’ 35” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 22 | 13h 52m 50s | -52° 51’ 24” | 29.96 | Centaurus |
| 2021 May 23 | 13h 52m 38s | -52° 50’ 12” | 29.96 | Centaurus |