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Great Comet of 1680

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C/1680 V1
Discovery
Discovered byGottfried Kirch
Discovery date1680
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 perihelionNovember 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.

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. (H. E. BOLTON. Kino’s Historical Memoir of the Pimería Alta. Cleveland, OH (USA): Arthur H. Clark, 1919. Reprint 1949).

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. James W. Werner. "The Great Comet of 1680". Retrieved 2006-02-05.
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