Great Comet of 1811

C/1811 F1
The Great Comet of 1811, as sketched by William Henry Smyth
Discovery
Discovered byHonoré Flaugergues
Discovery dateMarch 25, 1811
Designations
1811 I,
Great Comet of 1811
Orbital characteristics
Epoch1811-Sep-05
2382760.5
Observation arc505 days (1.38 years)
Number of
observations
1000
Orbit typeLong period comet
Aphelion423 AU
Perihelion1.04 AU[1]
Semi-major axis212.4 AU
Eccentricity0.995125
Orbital period2742 years (inbound)
2974 years (outbound)[2]
Inclination106.9°
Last perihelionSeptember 12, 1811
Next perihelion48th century
Physical characteristics
Dimensions30−40 km[3]

The Great Comet of 1811,[4] formally designated C/1811 F1, is a comet that was visible to the naked eye for around 260 days, the longest recorded period of visibility until the appearance of Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brightest, and when it was 1.2 AU from Earth, it displayed an apparent magnitude of 0,[5][6] with an easily visible coma.

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  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference primer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Jean-Michel Faidit, "La comète impériale de 1811", Les Presses du Midi, 2012; Friedrich Wilhelm Argelander, Ueber die Bahn des grossen cometen von 1811, (Tr. Table of the path of the great comet of 1811) 4, Konigsberg, 1822.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference great was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ramsey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).