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Comet West

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Also known as 1976 VI

Comet with the highest orbiting period

Key facts

Discovered by
Richard M. West
Discovery site
European Southern Observatory
Discovery date
10 August 1975
Alternative designations
1976 VI, 1975n
Epoch
10 May 1976 ( JD 2442908.5)
Observation arc
199 days
Aphelion
1,500 AU (inbound)
Perihelion
0.197 AU
Orbital period
~558,000 years
Inclination
43.074°
Longitude of ascending node
118.92°
Argument of periapsis
358.43°
Last perihelion
25 February 1976
Earth moid
0.555 AU
Jupiter moid
1.194 AU
Mean radius
1.485 km (0.923 mi)
Apparent magnitude
–3.0, (1976 apparition)

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
C-west-1976-ps.jpg
Show 11 more facts
time of discovery or invention
1975-00-00
Commons category
Comet West (C/1975 V1)
absolute magnitude
4.4
orbital eccentricity
1.000016
semi-major axis of an orbit
12220
periapsis
0.196595
orbital inclination
43.074
longitude of ascending node
118.9175346769632
argument of periapsis
358.4317208087168
mean anomaly
0.00005455779729386018
time of periapsis
2442833.7219778746
Sources (4)

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Article

Comet West, formally designated as C/1975 V1, 1976 VI, and 1975n, was a comet described as one of the brightest objects to pass through the inner Solar System in 1976. It is often described as a "great comet". Reports indicate it could be seen in daylight.

Observational history

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