C/1729 P1 (Sarabat)

C/1729 P1 (Sarabat)
Discovery
Discovered byFr. Nicolas Sarabat
Discovery siteNîmes, France
Discovery date1 August 1729
Designations
Comet of 1729
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch16 June 1729 (JD 2352731.148)
Observation arc135 days
Number of
observations		3 (very poorly determined)
Perihelion4.05054 AU
Eccentricity~1.000 (assumed)
Inclination77.095°
314.393°
Argument of
periapsis		10.403°
Last perihelion16 June 1729
Next perihelionEjection trajectory (assumed)
Physical characteristics[2]
Dimensions100 km (62 mi)
Comet total
magnitude (M1)		–3.0
3–4
(1729 apparition)

The Comet of 1729, also known as C/1729 P1 or Comet Sarabat, was an assumed parabolic comet with an absolute magnitude of −3,[3][4] the brightest ever observed for a comet;[5] it is therefore considered to be potentially the largest comet ever seen.[6] With an assumed eccentricity of 1,[1] it is unknown if this comet will return in a hundred thousand years or be ejected from the Solar System.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference jpldata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference sagan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference kidger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kidger1996 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Comet Caesar (C/-43 K1) has, however, been calculated to have possibly had the brightest absolute magnitude in recorded history: −3.3 at the time of discovery and −4.0 during a later flare-up; cp. John!! T. Ramsey & A. Lewis Licht, The Comet of 44 B.C. and Caesar's Funeral Games, Atlanta, 1997, ISBN 0-7885-0273-5.
  6. ^ Moore, Patrick (1 January 2000). The Data Book of Astronomy. CRC Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-000-68723-1. Retrieved 16 June 2024.