Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost)
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is currently in the constellation of Centaurus, at a distance of 3,455,752,216 kilometers from Earth.
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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.
Today's rise, transit and set times of Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
Today Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) is not visible from Greenwich, United Kingdom
- 20D/Westphal (Lost) is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom.
- Given its current magnitude, 20D/Westphal (Lost) is visible only through long exposure photography.
- Go to interactive sky chart
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Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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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 3,455,752,216 kilometers, equivalent to 23.100277 Astronomical Units. Light takes 3 hours, 12 minutes and 7.1486 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 1 January 2013 and 30 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 309,516,955 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Comet 20D/Westphal (Lost) Brightness and 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.
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 |
61.8661 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 May 01 | 14h 10m 45s | -55° 14’ 09” | 29.41 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 02 | 14h 10m 28s | -55° 13’ 30” | 29.41 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 03 | 14h 10m 14s | -55° 12’ 47” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 04 | 14h 09m 57s | -55° 12’ 03” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 05 | 14h 09m 42s | -55° 11’ 18” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 06 | 14h 09m 25s | -55° 10’ 31” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 07 | 14h 09m 11s | -55° 09’ 42” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 08 | 14h 08m 54s | -55° 08’ 51” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 09 | 14h 08m 39s | -55° 07’ 59” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 10 | 14h 08m 24s | -55° 07’ 05” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 11 | 14h 08m 08s | -55° 06’ 08” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 12 | 14h 07m 54s | -55° 05’ 12” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 13 | 14h 07m 38s | -55° 04’ 13” | 29.40 | Centaurus |
| 2024 May 14 | 14h 07m 23s | -55° 03’ 11” | 29.40 | Centaurus |