Comet West formally designated C/1975 V1, 1976 VI, and 1975n, was a spectacular comet

Comet

A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...

, sometimes considered to qualify for the status of "great comet

Great comet

A Great Comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term will be attached to comets that become bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who are not actively looking for them, and become well known outside the astronomical community. Great...

".
It was discovered photographically by Richard M. West, of the European Southern Observatory

European Southern Observatory

The European Southern Observatory is an intergovernmental research organisation for astronomy, supported by fifteen countries...

, 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 scatter

Forward scatter

In telecommunication and astronomy, forward scatter is the deflection—by diffraction, nonhomogeneous refraction, or nonspecular reflection by particulate matter of dimensions that are large with respect to the wavelength in question but small with respect to the beam diameter—of a portion of an...

ing reached a peak brightness

Apparent magnitude

The apparent magnitude of a celestial body is a measure of its brightness as seen by an observer on Earth, adjusted to the value it would have in the absence of the atmosphere...

 of -3.