The great comets This table gives visibility and orbital information for selected non-periodic “great” comets.

Name: c/1132 T1 Dates refer to the Julian calendar First reported visibility: october 3, 1132 Observed for: 24 days Name: ephorus’ Comet Closest to Sun: august 30, 69 million miles First reported visibility: Winter, 373–372 b.c. (111 million km) Note: reported by the Greek historian Closest to Earth: october 7, 3.7 million miles Ephorus to have split into two pieces; (6 million km) no recorded observations from Asian Maximum brightness: october 7, magnitude –1 chroniclers Name: c/1402 D1 Name: c/240 V1 First reported visibility: February 8, 1402 First reported visibility: November 10, a.d. 240 Observed for: 70 days Observed for: 39 days Closest to Sun: march 21, 35 million miles Closest to Sun: November 10, 34 million miles (57 million km) (55 million kilometers) Closest to Earth: February 19, 66 million miles Closest to Earth: November 30, 93 million miles (106 million km) (150 million km) Maximum brightness: march 12, magnitude –3 Maximum brightness: November 20, magnitude 1–2 Note: In mid-March, the comet entered solar conjunction; there were reports it was a Name: c/390 Q1 daylight object for 8 days. First reported visibility: august 21, 390 Observed for: 26 days Name: c/1577 V1 Closest to Sun: september 5, 86 million miles First reported visibility: November 1, 1577 (138 million km) Observed for: 87 days Closest to Earth: august 18, 9.3 million miles Closest to Sun: october 27, 17 million miles (15 million km) (27 million km) Maximum brightness: august 18, magnitude –1 Closest to Earth: November 10, 59 million miles Note: chinese chroniclers reported the (94 million km) tail spanned more than 70°. Maximum brightness: November 8, magnitude –3 Note: Comet observed in detail by Name: c/400 F1 Tycho Brahe; perhaps the most active First reported visibility: march 18, 400 comet on record until Hale-Bopp Observed for: 30 days Closest to Sun: February 25, 20 million miles (31 million km) Dates refer to the Gregorian calendar Closest to Earth: march 31, 7.4 million miles (12 million km) Name: 1680 V1 Maximum brightness: march 19, magnitude 0 First reported visibility: November 23, 1680 Observed for: 88 days Name: great Comet of 1106 Closest to Sun: December 18, 930,000 miles First reported visibility: February 2, 1106 (1.5 million km) Observed for: 40 days Closest to Earth: November 30, 39 million miles Note: This comet passed very close to the (63 million km) Sun. Its fragmentation may have cre- Maximum brightness: December 29, magnitude 1–2 ated the great “sungrazing” comets of Note: This was the first comet discovered with 1843, 1882, and/or 1965. the aid of a telescope (on November 14).

GC0208_table Name: de Chéseaux (C/1743 X1) Name: Great September Comet (1882 R1) First reported visibility: November 29, 1743 First reported visibility: 1 September 1, 1882 Observed for: 110 days Observed for: 135 days Closest to Sun: march 1, 20 million miles Closest to Sun: september 17, 744,000 miles (33 million km) (1.2 million km) Closest to Earth: February 27, 77 million miles Closest to Earth: september 16, 92 million miles (124 million km) (148 million km) Maximum brightness: February 20, magnitude –3 Maximum brightness: september 8, less than magnitude –3 Note: Visible in daylight only 12° from the Note: The Great September Comet was a sun February 27; tail appeared as brilliant object observed very close glowing bands even while the comet to the Sun. It split into at least four was below the horizon, comparable separate pieces near perihelion. to Comet McNaught Astronomers believe the Great September Comet and Ikeya-Seki in Name: messier (C/1769 P1) 1965 are members of the same family First reported visibility: August 24, 1769 of sungrazing comets. Observed for: 94 days Closest to Sun: october 8, 11 million miles Name: great January Comet (1910 A1) (18 million km) First reported visibility: January 13, 1910 Closest to Earth: september 10, 30 million miles Observed for: 20 days (48 million km) Closest to Sun: January 17, 12 million miles Maximum brightness: september 22, magnitude 0 (19 million km) Note: Tail reported as longer than 90° near Closest to Earth: January 18, 80 million miles Earth close approach (129 million km) Maximum brightness: January 30, magnitude 1–2 Name: great March Comet (1843 D1) Note: The comet was easily observed on First reported visibility: February 5, 1843 January 17 only 4.5° from the Sun. It’s Observed for: 48 days often confused with the later apparition Closest to Sun: February 27, 558,000 miles of Comet 1P/Halley mid-year. (898,000 km) Closest to Earth: march 6, 78 million miles Name: Skjellerup-Maristany (1927 X1) (125 million km) First reported visibility: November 27, 1927 Maximum brightness: march 7, less than magnitude –3 Observed for: 32 days Note: on the date of perihelion, this Closest to Sun: December 18, 17 million miles sungrazing comet was observed in day- (27 million km) light nearly 1° from the Sun. Closest to Earth: December 12, 70 million miles (112 million km) Name: Donati (1858 L1) Maximum brightness: December 8, magnitude 1 First reported visibility: august 20, 1858 Note: on December 18, this comet was seen Observed for: 80 days in daylight only 5° from the Sun. At the Closest to Sun: september 30, 54 million miles end of December, the tail was reported (87 million km) to be nearly 40° long. Closest to Earth: october 11, 50 million miles (81 million km) Maximum brightness: october 7, magnitude 0–1 Name: Ikeya-Seki (1965 S1) Name: hale-Bopp (1995 O1) First reported visibility: october 3, 1965 First reported visibility: september 9, 1996 Observed for: 30 days Observed for: 215 days Closest to Sun: october 21, 744,000 miles Closest to Sun: april 1, 1997, 85 million miles (1.2 million km) (136 million km) Closest to Earth: october 17, 85 million miles Closest to Earth: march 22, 1997, 123 million miles (135 million km) (197 million km) Maximum brightness: october 14, magnitude 2 Maximum brightness: march 26, 1997, magnitude –0.7 Note: sungrazing Comet Ikeya-Seki could Note: The observational interval is based on be seen visually during daylight near the period Hale-Bopp had a total mag- perihelion, when it split into two or nitude of 3.4 or brighter. possibly three pieces. Toward the end of October, its impressive tail extended Name: mcNaught (2006 P1) more than 45°. First reported visibility: January 1, 2007 Observed for: 25 days Name: Bennett (1969 Y1) Closest to Sun: January 12, 16 million miles First reported visibility: February 10, 1970 (25 million km) Observed for: 80 days Closest to Earth: January 15, 76 million miles Closest to Sun: march 20, 50 million miles (123 million km) (81 million km) Maximum brightness: January 14, magnitude –6 Closest to Earth: march 26, 64 million miles Note: Naked-eye object during January; (103 million km) maximum brightness that month was Maximum brightness: march 20, magnitude 0–1 dramatically enhanced by forward scat- Note: The tail of Comet Bennett reached tering of sunlight by dust; impressive 10° in mid-March. dust tail reached 30° and had obvious striae, similar to Comet West in 1976 Name: West (1975 V1) First reported visibility: February 5, 1976 Observed for: 55 days Closest to Sun: February 25, 19 million miles (30 million km) Closest to Earth: February 29, 73 million miles (118 million km) Maximum brightness: march 1, magnitude –1 Note: comet West’s broad tail reached a length of 30° March 8. Near perihelion, the comet split into four pieces.

Name: hyakutake (1996 B2) First reported visibility: march 15, 1996 Observed for: 30 days Closest to Sun: may 1, 21 million miles (34 million km) Closest to Earth: march 25, 9.3 million miles (15 million km) Maximum brightness: april 20, magnitude 1–2 Comet Halley’s greatest hits This table gives visibility and orbital information for selected apparitions of Comet 1P/Halley associated with historical events.

First reported visibility: march 21, 837 Dates refer to the Julian calendar Observed for: 39 days Closest to Sun: February 28, 54 million miles First reported visibility: July 87 b.c (87 million km) Observed for: 35 days Closest to Earth: april 11, 24 million miles (39 million km) Closest to Sun: august 6, 54 million miles Maximum brightness: april 11, magnitude –3 (88 million kilometers) Note: This was Comet Halley’s closest-ever Closest to Earth: July 27, 41 million miles (65 million km) approach to Earth. On April 13, Halley’s Maximum brightness: July 27, magnitude 2 tail spanned more than 90°. Note: recorded in Babylonian and Chinese texts; likely appears on coins minted for First reported visibility: april 2, 1066 Tigranes II (95–55 b.c.) of Armenia Observed for: 66 days Closest to Sun: march 20, 54 million miles First reported visibility: august 25, 12 (87 million km) Observed for: 57 days Closest to Earth: april 24, 9.3 million miles Closest to Sun: october 10, 54 million miles (15 million km) (88 million km) Maximum brightness: april 24, magnitude –1 Closest to Earth: september 10, 15 million miles Note: associated with England’s Battle (24 million km) of Hastings Maximum brightness: september 10, magnitude 1 First reported visibility: september 1, 1301 First reported visibility: January 30, 66 Observed for: 61 days Observed for: 71 days Closest to Sun: october 25, 54 million miles Closest to Sun: January 26, 54 million miles (87 million km) (88 million km) Closest to Earth: september 23, 17 million miles Closest to Earth: march 20, 23 million miles (27 million km) (37 million km) Maximum brightness: september 23, magnitude 1–2 Maximum brightness: march 20, magnitude 1 Note: Used by Giotto di Bondone as the Note: Linked to the fall of Jerusalem to the inspiration for the Star of Bethlehem romans 4 years later in his Adoration of the Magi panel, Scrovegni Chapel, Padua, Italy, ca. 1305 First reported visibility: may 218 Observed for: 40 days Closest to Sun: may 17, 54 million miles (87 million km) Dates refer to the Gregorian calendar Closest to Earth: may 30, 39 million miles (63 million km) Maximum brightness: may 30, magnitude 0 First reported visibility: august, 15, 1682 Note: Linked to the end of China’s Han Dynasty Observed for: 41 days Closest to Sun: september 15, 54 million miles First reported visibility: June 9, 451 (87 million km) Observed for: 68 days Closest to Earth: august 31, 39 million miles Closest to Sun: June 28, 54 million miles (87 million km) (63 million km) Closest to Earth: June 30, 46 million miles (73 million km) Maximum brightness: august 31, magnitude 0–1 Maximum brightness: June 30, magnitude 0 Note: english scientist Edmond Halley Note: Linked to Attila the Hun’s defeat by the recognized the orbital characteristics romans at the Battle of Chalons of this comet matched comets in 1531 and 1607. He suggests all three are the First reported visibility: september 6, 684 same comet, returning periodically, Observed for: 33 days and successfully predicts its return. The Closest to Sun: october 2, 54 million miles comet is named for him. (87 million km) Closest to Earth: april 19, 24 million miles (39 million km) Maximum brightness: april 19, magnitude 1–2 Note: Linked to crop failures and a plague in Europe