C/1948 V1

This article is about the "Eclipse Comet of 1948". For the "Eclipse Comet of 1882", see X/1882 K1 (Tewfik).

The Eclipse Comet of 1948, formally known as C/1948 V1, was an especially bright comet discovered during a solar eclipse on November 1, 1948. Although there have been several comets that have been seen during solar eclipses, the Eclipse Comet of 1948 is perhaps the best-known; it was however, best viewed only from the Southern Hemisphere.

C/1948 V1
(Eclipse Comet of 1948)

The Eclipse Comet of 1948 photographed by W. C. Braun from the McDonald Observatory on November 14, 1948
Discovery[1]
Discovery date	1 November 1948
Designations
Alternative designations	1948 XI, 1948l[2]
Orbital characteristics[3][4]
Epoch	10 January 1949 (JD 2432926.5)
Observation arc	137 days
Number of observations	17
Aphelion	3,149.44 AU
Perihelion	0.1354 AU
Semi-major axis	1,574.79 AU
Eccentricity	0.9999
Orbital period	62,494.39 years
Inclination	23.116°
Longitude of ascending node	211.043°
Argument of periapsis	107.249°
Last perihelion	27 October 1948
TJupiter	0.423
Earth MOID	0.1883 AU
Jupiter MOID	1.8182 AU
Physical characteristics[5][6]
Mean radius	1.531 km (0.951 mi)[a]
Comet total magnitude (M1)	5.5
Comet nuclear magnitude (M2)	9.0
Apparent magnitude	–1.0 (1948 apparition)[7]

When it was first discovered during totality, it was already quite bright, at magnitude –1.0; as it was near perihelion, this was its peak brightness.^[8] Its visibility during morning twilight improved as it receded outward from the Sun; it peaked near zero magnitude, and at one point displayed a tail roughly 30 degrees in length, before falling below naked eye visibility by the end of December.^[8]