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The great comet of 1472 was visible from Christmas Day 1471 to 1 March 1472 ( Julian Calendar), for a total of 59 days.Donald K. Yeomans,
Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Great Comets in History
', 2007. The comet passed 0.07 AU from Earth on 22 January 1472, closer than any other
great comet A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term is attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which during certain appearances are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who ar ...
in modern times.


Observational history

The first reports of the comet date from the Christmas Day of 1471, when the comet was located in Virgo. It became better visible in the second week of January 1472, when in Korean sources is mentioned it had a tail 4-5 degrees long. The comet was moving northwards and passed through Bootes, Coma Berenices and Ursa Major and was about 15 degrees from the north celestial pole on January 22, and the date of perigee, at a distance of . At that time the comet was moving about one degree per hour. Consequently, became better visible in the evening sky, as the comet moved southwards and towards perihelion. It was last observed around 11 March, when the comet was located in the constellation of Cetus. An Italian physician named Angelo Cato de Supino also left a description of the comet, claiming it was as bright and majestic as the full moon, its tail extending over more than 30 degrees. Regiomontanus mentioned that on 20 January the tail of the comet measured 50 degrees in length. The comet (or " broom star") was also observed in Chinese astronomy, where it is noted that it was visible even at midday. The 15th century English Chronicler,
John Warkworth John Warkworth Doctor of Divinity, DD (c. 1425 – 1500) was an English churchman and academic, a Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He is no longer considered to be a chronicler of Edward IV, the so-called ''Warkworth's Chronicle'' now being attrib ...
, left a detailed account of the comet's appearance and disappearance from the night sky of England.


Scientific results

The comet is notable because it was observed by 15th-century astronomers, during a time of rapid progress in
planetary theory Planetary means relating to a planet or planets. It can also refer to: ;Science * Planetary habitability, the measure of an astronomical body's potential to develop and sustain life * Planetary nebula, an astronomical object ;People * Planetary ...
, shortly before the Copernican Revolution. The comet was observed by Regiomontanus and
Bernhard Walther Bernhard Walther (1430June 19, 1504) was a German merchant, humanist and astronomer based in Nuremberg, Germany. Walther was born in Memmingen, and was a man of large means, which he devoted to scientific pursuits. When Regiomontanus settled in N ...
from Nuremberg. Regiomontanus tried to estimate its distance from Earth, using the
parallax Parallax is a displacement or difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight and is measured by the angle or semi-angle of inclination between those two lines. Due to foreshortening, nearby objects ...
. According to Seargeant (2009): The comet is now known to have passed from Earth, which marks the closest a
great comet A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term is attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which during certain appearances are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who ar ...
has approached Earth in modern times. Only the
Great Comet of 1556 The Great Comet of 1556 (designated C/1556 D1 in modern nomenclature) was a comet that first appeared in February 1556, and which was observed throughout much of Europe. The comet appears to have been seen in some places before the end of February, ...
and comet Hyakutake have approached in a comparable distance since then.


See also

* Halley's Comet#1456 *
Great Comet of 1556 The Great Comet of 1556 (designated C/1556 D1 in modern nomenclature) was a comet that first appeared in February 1556, and which was observed throughout much of Europe. The comet appears to have been seen in some places before the end of February, ...
*
Great Comet of 1577 The Great Comet of 1577 (official designation: C/1577 V1) is a non-periodic comet that passed close to Earth during the year 1577 AD. Having an official designation beginning with "C" classes it as a non-periodic comet, and so it is not expected t ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links

* M. Celoria, "Comet of 1472", ''Nature'', Vol. 316, NO.6024/JUL11 (1985), p. 107. * J. O. Halliwell, "On a very particular and curious Account of the Comet of 1472, from a contemporary MS. Chronicle in Peterhouse Library", ''The London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science'' vol. 14 (1839)
260f.
* J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps, "A chronicle of the first thirteen years of the reign of King Edward the Fourth by Warkworth, John, d. 1500"; University of Cambridge. Peterhouse. Library. Mss (230)

{{DEFAULTSORT:1472 1472 Non-periodic comets Great comets