.jpg) The tails of C/1743 X1, the Great Comet of 1744, extending above the horizon before sunrise on March 8, 1744 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Jan de Munck Dirk Klinkenberg Jean-Philippe de Chéseaux |
| Discovery date | 29 November 1743 |
| Designations | |
| Great Comet of 1743 | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Observation arc | 71 days |
| Number of observations | 76 |
| Perihelion | 0.222 AU |
| Eccentricity | ~1.000 |
| Inclination | 47.142° |
| 49.297° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 151.486° |
| Last perihelion | 1 March 1744 |
| Physical characteristics[2] | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 0.5 |
| –7.0 (1744 apparition) | |
The Great Comet of 1744, whose official designation is C/1743 X1, and which is also known as Comet de Chéseaux or Comet Klinkenberg-Chéseaux, was a spectacular comet that was observed during 1743 and 1744. It was discovered independently in late November 1743 by Jan de Munck, in the second week of December by Dirk Klinkenberg, and, four days later, by Jean-Philippe de Chéseaux. It became visible with the naked eye for several months in 1744 and displayed dramatic and unusual effects in the sky. Its absolute magnitude – or intrinsic brightness – of 0.5 was the sixth highest in recorded history.[2] Its apparent magnitude may have reached as high as −7, leading it to be classified as a Great Comet. This comet is noted especially for developing a 'fan' of six tails after reaching its perihelion.
- ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: C/1743 X1" (1744-03-01 last obs used (2-body dynamics used in orbit determination)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
- ^ a b M. Kidger (3 April 1997). "Comet Hale-Bopp Light Curve". jpl.nasa.gov. NASA / JPL. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2008.