Great Comet of 1819

C/1819 N1 (Tralles)
(Great Comet of 1819)
Great Comet of 1819, from Uranography drawn by E. Otis Kendall (1850)
Discovery
Discovered byJohann Georg Tralles
Discovery date1 July 1819
Designations
1819 II
Orbital characteristics
Epoch18 June 1831 (JD 2385613.5)
Perihelion0.3415 AU
Eccentricity~1.000
Inclination80.752°
276.235°
Argument of
periapsis
13.416°
Last perihelion28 June 1819
Physical characteristics
1–2
(1819 apparition)

The Great Comet of 1819, officially designated as C/1819 N1, also known as Comet Tralles, was an exceptionally bright and easily visible comet, approaching an apparent magnitude of 1–2, discovered July 1, 1819 by the German astronomer Johann Georg Tralles in Berlin. It was the first comet analyzed using polarimetry, by French mathematician François Arago.