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Great Comet of 1680

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C/1680 V1
The Great Comet of 1680 over Rotterdam
Discovery
Discovered byGottfried Kirch
Discovery date1680-11-14
Designations
Alternative designationsGreat Comet of 1680, 1680 V1
Orbital characteristics
Epoch2335000.5
Aphelion889 AU
Perihelion0.00622 AU
Semi-major axis444 AU
Eccentricity0.999986
Orbital period~9356 a
Inclination60.7°
Last perihelion1680-12-18
Next perihelion~11037

C/1680 V1, also called the Great Comet of 1680, Kirch's Comet, and Newton's Comet, has the distinction of being the first comet discovered by telescope. Discovered by Gottfried Kirch on 14 November 1680, New Style, 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 30 November, it sped around an incredibly close perihelion of .006 AU (898,000 km) on 18 December 1680, reaching its peak brightness on 29 December as it rushed outward again. It was last observed on 19 March 1681. As of December 2010 the comet was about 252.1 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 Kino, 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 treatises 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

  1. ^ "JPL DASTCOM Comet Orbital Elements". Retrieved 2010-02-10. Num Name ... q ... Tp ... C/1680 V1 (1680 V1) ... 0.00622200 ... 16801218.48760
  2. James W. Werner. "The Great Comet of 1680". Retrieved 2006-02-05.
  3. Donald Yeomans. "Great Comets in History". Retrieved 2007-08-01.
  4. Great Comet of 1680 at the JPL Small-Body Database Edit this at Wikidata
  5. NASA. JPL Small-body database browser approximate orbit plot. (needs Java)
  6. NASA. JPL HORIZONS current ephemeris more accurate position, no plot.
  7. H. E. BOLTON. Kino’s Historical Memoir of the Pimería Alta. Cleveland, OH (USA): Arthur H. Clark, 1919. Reprint 1949.
  8. Tony Hoffman. "A SOHO and Sungrazing Comet FAQ". Retrieved 2006-02-06.
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