Great Comet of 1577
The Great Comet of 1577, seen over Prague on November 12. Engraving made by Jiri Daschitzky. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery site | Peru |
| Discovery date | 1 November 1577 |
| Designations | |
| Tycho's Comet | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Observation arc | 74 days |
| Number of observations | 24 |
| Perihelion | 0.1775 AU |
| Eccentricity | ~1.000 |
| Inclination | 104.883° |
| 31.237° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 255.673° |
| Last perihelion | 27 October 1577 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | –1.8 |
| –3.0 (1577 apparition) | |
The Great Comet of 1577 (designated as C/1577 V1 in modern nomenclature) is a non-periodic comet that passed close to Earth with first observation being possible in Peru on 1 November 1577. Final observation was made on 26 January 1578.
Tycho Brahe was one the most distinguished observers of this comet, making thousands of precise measurements about it. The observations made by Brahe led him to believe the comet was outside of the orbit of the sun and moon. There were many independent observers of the comet from across the world. Many had different explanations for the comet. Some, such as Sultan Murad III, saw the comet as an evil omen. Others took a scientific approach, like Michael Mästlin who used the comet to fill gaps in Copernicus's model of the universe. It inspired artists, like Jiri Dschitzky, who made an engraving of the comet as it passed over Prague. Currently, using JPL Horizons, it is believed that the comet is ~324 AU (48.5 billion km) from the sun.