Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)
Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
View interactive star map
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 West (C/1975 V1-A) from Greenwich, UK (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- C/1975 V1-A (West) is below the horizon from Greenwich, UK.
- Given its current magnitude, C/1975 V1-A (West) 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.
Finder Charts
High precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Distance from Earth
The distance of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) from Earth is currently
The following chart shows the distance of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) 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 C/1975 V1-A (West) from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach
Between 1 January 2013 and 30 December 2100, the closest approach of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) to Earth happens on Fri Jul 5 2013 at a distance of 61.737494 Astronomical Units, or 9,235,797,721 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 West (C/1975 V1-A), 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 West (C/1975 V1-A) at epoch 09 May 1976 00:00 UTC (JD: 2442908.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
| Element | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Orbit eccentricity | e | 1.00001609 |
| Orbit inclination | i | 43.07404350° |
| Perihelion distance | q | 0.19659497 AU 29,410,189 km |
| Aphelion distance | Q | n.a. |
| Semi-major axis | a | n.a. |
| Orbital period | period | n.a. |
| Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 1976-Feb-25 05:19:38 2,442,833.7220 JD |
| Argument of perihelion | peri | 358.43172080872° |
| Longitude of the ascending node | node | 118.91753467696° |
| Mean anomaly | M | 5.455779729386E-5° |
| Mean motion | n | 0.00000073°/day |
Orbit Visualization
View Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) in the 3D Solar System Simulator
15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sep 07 | 19h 36m 41s | -16° 23’ 20” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 08 | 19h 36m 39s | -16° 23’ 28” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 09 | 19h 36m 37s | -16° 23’ 37” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 10 | 19h 36m 36s | -16° 23’ 45” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 11 | 19h 36m 34s | -16° 23’ 53” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 12 | 19h 36m 32s | -16° 24’ 01” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 13 | 19h 36m 30s | -16° 24’ 09” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 14 | 19h 36m 29s | -16° 24’ 17” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 15 | 19h 36m 27s | -16° 24’ 25” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 16 | 19h 36m 26s | -16° 24’ 32” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 17 | 19h 36m 24s | -16° 24’ 40” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 18 | 19h 36m 23s | -16° 24’ 47” | 29.21 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 19 | 19h 36m 22s | -16° 24’ 54” | 29.22 | Sagittarius |
| 2024 Sep 20 | 19h 36m 20s | -16° 25’ 02” | 29.22 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources
- Position and finder charts (see also Where is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)?)
- Distance from Earth (see also How far is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) from Earth?)
- When does Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) rise and set?
- Brightness (see also How bright is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)?)
- Orbital elements. Detailed information about Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) orbital parameters.
- Interactive orbit visualization. 3d visualization showing the orbit of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) with respect to the major Solar System objects.
- 15 days ephemerides. Table showing celestial coordinates and magnitude of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) for the past and next 7 days.
- Interactive sky chart. An online planetarium application that shows where to locate Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) in the sky from your location.
- Live position tracker. A high precision sky chart that uses real deep sky imagery to help locate Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) with your telescope or on your astrophotographies.