| Revision as of 19:13, 20 April 2008 editGregorB (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers185,113 edits Ref markup← Previous edit | Revision as of 19:07, 17 June 2008 edit undo84user (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers9,781 edits 250 A.U. away, citing JPL's small-body browser and JPL HORIZONSNext edit → | ||
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| '''The Great Comet of 1680''', formally known as '''C/1680 V1''' or '''Kirch's Comet''', has the distinction of being the first ] discovered by ]. Discovered by ] on ], ], it became one of the brightest comets of the ]--reputedly visible even in daytime--and was noted for its spectacularly long tail.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://home.att.net/~jwwerner51/Comet.html | title=The Great Comet of 1680 | author=James W. Werner | accessdate=2006-02-05}}</ref> Passing only 0.4 ] from ] on November 30, it sped around an incredibly close ] of .006 AU (898,000 ] on ], ], reaching its peak brightness on ] as it rushed outward again.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/data/ELEMENTS.COMET | title=JPL DASTCOM Comet Orbital Elements | accessdate=2006-02-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?great_comets | title=Great Comets in History | author=Donald Yeomans | accessdate=2007-08-01}}</ref> It was last observed on ], ].<ref>{{JPL Small Body}}. Retrieved on ].</ref> | '''The Great Comet of 1680''', formally known as '''C/1680 V1''' or '''Kirch's Comet''', has the distinction of being the first ] discovered by ]. Discovered by ] on ], ], it became one of the brightest comets of the ]--reputedly visible even in daytime--and was noted for its spectacularly long tail.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://home.att.net/~jwwerner51/Comet.html | title=The Great Comet of 1680 | author=James W. Werner | accessdate=2006-02-05}}</ref> Passing only 0.4 ] from ] on November 30, it sped around an incredibly close ] of .006 AU (898,000 ] on ], ], reaching its peak brightness on ] as it rushed outward again.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/data/ELEMENTS.COMET | title=JPL DASTCOM Comet Orbital Elements | accessdate=2006-02-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?great_comets | title=Great Comets in History | author=Donald Yeomans | accessdate=2007-08-01}}</ref> It was last observed on ], ].<ref>{{JPL Small Body}}. Retrieved on ].</ref> ] the comet was about 252 A.U. from the Sun.<ref>NASA. approximate orbit plot. (needs Java)</ref><ref>NASA. more accurate position, no plot.</ref> | ||
| While the Kirch Comet of 1680-1681 was discovered and subsequently named for Gottfried KIRCH, credit must also be given to the Jesuit, Eusebio Francisco KINO (1645-1711), who charted the comet’s course. During his delayed departure for Mexico, KINO began his observations of the comet in Cadíz in late 1680. Upon his arrival in Mexico City, he published his ''Exposisión astronómica de el cometa'' (Mexico City, 1681) in which he presented his findings. KINO’s ''Exposisión astronómica'' is among one of the earliest scientific treaties published by a European in the New World.<ref>H. E. BOLTON. ''Kino’s Historical Memoir of the Pimería Alta''. Cleveland, OH (USA): Arthur H. Clark, 1919. Reprint 1949.</ref> | While the Kirch Comet of 1680-1681 was discovered and subsequently named for Gottfried KIRCH, credit must also be given to the Jesuit, Eusebio Francisco KINO (1645-1711), who charted the comet’s course. During his delayed departure for Mexico, KINO began his observations of the comet in Cadíz in late 1680. Upon his arrival in Mexico City, he published his ''Exposisión astronómica de el cometa'' (Mexico City, 1681) in which he presented his findings. KINO’s ''Exposisión astronómica'' is among one of the earliest scientific treaties published by a European in the New World.<ref>H. E. BOLTON. ''Kino’s Historical Memoir of the Pimería Alta''. Cleveland, OH (USA): Arthur H. Clark, 1919. Reprint 1949.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 19:07, 17 June 2008
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Gottfried Kirch |
| Discovery date | 1680 |
| Designations | |
| Alternative designations | Great Comet of 1680, 1680 V1 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 2335000.5 |
| Aphelion | 889 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.00622 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 444 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.999986 |
| Orbital period | ~9356 a |
| Inclination | 60.7° |
| Last perihelion | November 14, 1680 |
| Next perihelion | ~11036 |
The Great Comet of 1680, formally known as C/1680 V1 or Kirch's Comet, has the distinction of being the first comet discovered by telescope. Discovered by Gottfried Kirch on November 14, 1680, it became one of the brightest comets of the 17th century--reputedly visible even in daytime--and was noted for its spectacularly long tail. Passing only 0.4 AUs from Earth on November 30, it sped around an incredibly close perihelion of .006 AU (898,000 km on December 18, 1680, reaching its peak brightness on December 29 as it rushed outward again. It was last observed on March 19, 1681. As of June 2008 the comet was about 252 A.U. from the Sun.
While the Kirch Comet of 1680-1681 was discovered and subsequently named for Gottfried KIRCH, credit must also be given to the Jesuit, Eusebio Francisco KINO (1645-1711), who charted the comet’s course. During his delayed departure for Mexico, KINO began his observations of the comet in Cadíz in late 1680. Upon his arrival in Mexico City, he published his Exposisión astronómica de el cometa (Mexico City, 1681) in which he presented his findings. KINO’s Exposisión astronómica is among one of the earliest scientific treaties published by a European in the New World.
Although it was an undeniably a sungrazing comet, it was probably not part of the Kreutz family. Aside from its brilliance, it is probably most noted for being used by Isaac Newton to test and verify Kepler's laws.
References
- James W. Werner. "The Great Comet of 1680". Retrieved 2006-02-05.
- "JPL DASTCOM Comet Orbital Elements". Retrieved 2006-02-05.
- Donald Yeomans. "Great Comets in History". Retrieved 2007-08-01.
- Great Comet of 1680 at the JPL Small-Body Database
. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
- NASA. JPL Small-body database browser approximate orbit plot. (needs Java)
- NASA. JPL HORIZONS current ephemeris more accurate position, no plot.
- H. E. BOLTON. Kino’s Historical Memoir of the Pimería Alta. Cleveland, OH (USA): Arthur H. Clark, 1919. Reprint 1949.
- Tony Hoffman. "A SOHO and Sungrazing Comet FAQ". Retrieved 2006-02-06.
- Henry Smith Williams. "A History of Science, Vol. 3". Retrieved 2006-02-05.