C/1948 V1

{{short description|Non-periodic comet}}

{{About|the "Eclipse Comet of 1948"|the "Eclipse Comet of 1882"|X/1882 K1 (Tewfik)}}

{{Infobox comet

| name = C/1948 V1

| image = Comet 1948l.jpg

| caption = The Eclipse Comet of 1948 photographed by W. C. Braun from the McDonald Observatory on November 14, 1948

| discoverer =

| discovery_date = 1 November 1948

| designations = Eclipse Comet of 1948
1948 V1
1948 XI

| orbit_ref = {{r|barycenter|jpl1}}

| observation_arc = 137 days

| obs = 17

| epoch = 10 January 1949 (JD 2432926.5)

| semimajor = 1,574.79 AU

| perihelion = 0.1354 AU

| aphelion = 3,149.44 AU

| eccentricity = 0.9999

| inclination = 23.116°

| asc_node = 211.043°

| arg_peri = 107.249°

| period = 62,494.39 years

| tjup = 0.423

| Earth_moid = 0.1883 AU

| Jupiter_moid = 1.8182 AU

| last_p = 27 October 1948

| next_p =

| physical_ref = {{r|cobs|jpl2}}

| M1 = 9.0

| magnitude = –1.0
(1948 apparition)

}}

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.

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.{{r|cafe}} 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.{{r|cafe}}