Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)
Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) is in the constellation of
Sagittarius,
at a distance of
Finder Charts
View interactive star map
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.
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
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 05 | 19h 42m 16s | -16° 11’ 55” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 06 | 19h 42m 15s | -16° 11’ 54” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 07 | 19h 42m 14s | -16° 11’ 53” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 08 | 19h 42m 13s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 09 | 19h 42m 11s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 10 | 19h 42m 10s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 11 | 19h 42m 09s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 12 | 19h 42m 07s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 13 | 19h 42m 06s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 14 | 19h 42m 04s | -16° 11’ 52” | 29.27 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 15 | 19h 42m 03s | -16° 11’ 53” | 29.26 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 16 | 19h 42m 01s | -16° 11’ 53” | 29.26 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 17 | 19h 41m 59s | -16° 11’ 54” | 29.26 | Sagittarius |
| 2025 May 18 | 19h 41m 58s | -16° 11’ 55” | 29.26 | Sagittarius |
Additional Resources on TheSkyLive
- Comet West (C/1975 V1-A): Complete reference information on TheSkyLive.com
- Where is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)?: Key information on locating Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) in the sky.
- Distance from Earth: Find out how far Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) is from Earth right now.
- How Bright is Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)?: Current visual brightness (magnitude) and apparent size.
- Rise and Set Times: Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)'s rise and set times from your location.
- Interactive Sky Map: planetarium-style interactive visualization of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)'s position in the sky.
- Live Position Tracker: high precision position tracker with deep space imagery.
- Ephemeris: 15 days Comet West (C/1975 V1-A)'s computed ephemeris.
- Orbital elements: information about Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) orbital parameters.
- Orbit Visualization. 3d interactive visualization showing the orbit of Comet West (C/1975 V1-A) with respect to the major Solar System objects.