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:''There is another long-period comet West: C/1978 A1 (a.k.a. 1977 IX, 1978a).'' Comet West formally designated C/1975 V1, 1976 VI, and 1975n, was an exceptionally eye-catching comet, sometimes considered to qualify for the status of "great comet". It has the second-largest estimated aphelion in the Solar System after by C/2012 S4 (PANSTARRS) and followed by Comet Hyakutake. == History == It was discovered photographically by Richard M. West, of the European Southern Observatory, on August 10, 1975. The comet came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on February 25, 1976.〔 During perihelion the comet had a minimum solar elongation of 6.4° and as a result of forward scattering reached a peak brightness of -3.〔 From February 25 through the 27th, observers reported that the comet was bright enough to study during full daylight.〔 Despite its spectacular appearance, Comet West went largely unreported in the popular media. This was partly due to the relatively disappointing display of Comet Kohoutek in 1973, which had been widely predicted to become extremely prominent: scientists were wary of making predictions that might raise public expectations.〔Burnham, R. and Levy, D. ''Great Comets'', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, p. 73〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Comet West」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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