Great Comet of 1901
The Great Comet of 1901 photographed by Edward Emerson Barnard on 11 May 1901 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Viscara |
| Discovery site | Paysandú, Uruguay |
| Discovery date | 12 April 1901 |
| Designations | |
| Great Comet of 1901 1901 I 1901a | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 19 May 1901 (JD 2415523.5) |
| Observation arc | 43 days |
| Number of observations | 160 |
| Perihelion | 0.245 AU |
| Eccentricity | ~1.000 |
| Inclination | 131.077° |
| 111.038° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 203.051° |
| Last perihelion | 24 April 1901 |
| Earth MOID | 0.4523 AU |
| Jupiter MOID | 0.1551 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean radius | 4.77 km (2.96 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | 1.7 |
| Comet nuclear magnitude (M2) | 9.0 |
| –1.5 (1901 apparition) | |
The Great Comet of 1901, sometimes known as Comet Viscara, formally designated C/1901 G1 (and in the older nomenclature as 1901 I and 1901a), was a comet which became bright in the spring of 1901. Visible exclusively (or almost exclusively) from the southern hemisphere, it was discovered on the morning of April 12, 1901 as a naked-eye object of second magnitude with a short tail. On the day of perihelion passage, the comet's head was reported as deep yellowish in color, trailing a 10-degree tail. It was last seen by the naked eye on May 23.