In many ways the comet was quite similar to Comet Hale–Bopp: it became spectacular without passing particularly close to either the Earth or the Sun, but had an extremely large and active nucleus.īarycentric orbital periods when outside planetary perturbations Īstronomers also found the comet a memorable sight. After perihelion passage the comet has a period of 2974 years.
Before perihelion passage on September 12, 1811, the comet had an orbital period of 2742 years. The comet's nucleus was later estimated at 30–40 km in diameter. The Great Comet of 1811 was thought to have had an exceptionally large coma, perhaps reaching over 1 million miles across-fifty percent larger than the Sun. Several astronomers continued to obtain telescopic observations for some months, the last being Vincent Wisniewski at Novocherkassk, who noted it as barely reaching an apparent magnitude of 11 by August 12. By September, in Ursa Major, it was becoming a conspicuous object in the evening sky as it approached perihelion: William Herschel noted that a tail 25° long had developed by October 6.īy January 1812, the comet's brightness had faded. In August, the comet was first sighted in the United Kingdom by James Veitch of Inchbonny. Both Flaugergues and Olbers were able to recover it in Leo Minor during August, Olbers noting a small but distinct tail, consisting of two rays forming a parabola, when viewing through a comet seeker.
Animation of the comet's orbit between May 1811 and March 1812įrom May to August, the comet's position made it difficult to spot because of its low altitude and the evening twilight.
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