Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is in the constellation of
Lupus,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
High 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.
Celestial Coordinates
Apparent
J2000
Additional Information
The observed values of Magnitude, Coma Diameter and Tail Length are derived from the most recent observation recorded at the Comet Observers Database. The value of Predicted Magnitude comes from the JPL Horizons ephemerides service and, in the case of comets, might be inaccurate given the highly dynamic and unpredictable behavior of these objects. When available, please refer to the Observed Magnitude value and consider the Predicted 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.
Rise and Set Times
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is not visible from Greenwich, UK
- 20D/Westphal (Lost) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, 20D/Westphal (Lost) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- 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.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Earth is currently
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
Between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2099, 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 309,516,955 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Light Curve
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.
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 |
61.8661 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 |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
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. Apparent celestial coordinates are provided.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2025 Feb 04 | 14h 33m 38s | -55° 04’ 32” | 29.32 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 05 | 14h 33m 38s | -55° 06’ 14” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 06 | 14h 33m 37s | -55° 07’ 56” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 07 | 14h 33m 36s | -55° 09’ 36” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 08 | 14h 33m 36s | -55° 11’ 16” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 09 | 14h 33m 35s | -55° 12’ 56” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 10 | 14h 33m 33s | -55° 14’ 34” | 29.31 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 11 | 14h 33m 31s | -55° 16’ 12” | 29.30 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 12 | 14h 33m 28s | -55° 17’ 49” | 29.30 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 13 | 14h 33m 25s | -55° 19’ 25” | 29.30 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 14 | 14h 33m 22s | -55° 21’ 00” | 29.30 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 15 | 14h 33m 19s | -55° 22’ 34” | 29.30 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 16 | 14h 33m 15s | -55° 24’ 07” | 29.29 | Lupus |
2025 Feb 17 | 14h 33m 11s | -55° 25’ 39” | 29.29 | Lupus |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Earth?)
- When does Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.