Great Comet of 1577

The Great Comet of 1577 is a non-periodic comet that passed close to Earth with first observation being possible in Peru on November 1 1577.^[1] Final observation was made on January 26, 1578. ^[2] The comet's official designation is C/1577 V1.^[3] 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.^[4] There were many independent observers of the comet from across the world.^[5] Many had different explanations for the comet. Some, such as Sultan Murad III, saw the comet as an evil omen.^[6] Others took a scientific approach, like Michael Mästlin who used the comet to fill gaps in Copernicus's model of the universe.^[7] It inspired artists, like Jiri Dschitzky, who made an engraving of the comet as it passed over Prague.^[8] Currently, using JPL Horizons, it is believed that the comet is 324 AU (48.5 billion km) from the sun.^[9]

^ Kapoor, R. C. (2015). "Abū'l Faẓl, independent discoverer of the Great Comet of 1577". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 18 (3): 249–260. Bibcode:2015JAHH...18..249K. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2015.03.03. S2CID 209912868.
^ Hale, Alan (2020-11-08). "Comet of the Week: "Tycho Brahe's Comet" C/1577 V1". RocketSTEM. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ "COMET NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS". www.icq.eps.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
^ Grant, p. 305
^ Moritz Valentin Steinmetz: Von dem Cometen welcher im November des 1577. Jars erstlich erschienen, und noch am Himmel zusehen ist, wie er von Abend und Mittag, gegen Morgen und Mitternacht zu, seinen Fortgang gehabt, Observirt und beschrieben in Leipzig ..., Gedruckt bey Nickel Nerlich Formschneider, 1577 [1] Archived 2015-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
^ "The Story of the Two Astronomers Who Studied the Great Comet of 1577". Interesting Engineering. September 5, 2016.
^ Barker, P., & Goldstein, B. R. (2001). Theological foundations of Keplers astronomy. Ithaca, NY.
^ Robert S. Westman, "The Comet and the Cosmos: Kepler, Mästlin, and the Copernican Hypothesis", in The Reception of Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory: Proceedings of a Symposium Organized by the Nicolas Copernicus Committee of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science, Torun, Poland, 1973 (Springer, 1973), pp. 10 and 28. For a description and reproduction of Helisaeus Roeslin's diagram, see pp. 28–29 online.
^ NASA JPL Horizons ephemeris 2023-2030

[comet15773-1] Kapoor, R. C. (2015). "Abū'l Faẓl, independent discoverer of the Great Comet of 1577". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 18 (3): 249–260. Bibcode:2015JAHH...18..249K. doi:10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.2015.03.03. S2CID 209912868.

[2] Hale, Alan (2020-11-08). "Comet of the Week: "Tycho Brahe's Comet" C/1577 V1". RocketSTEM. Retrieved 2024-04-14.

[3] "COMET NAMES AND DESIGNATIONS". www.icq.eps.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-14.

[hist3-4] Grant, p. 305

[5] Moritz Valentin Steinmetz: Von dem Cometen welcher im November des 1577. Jars erstlich erschienen, und noch am Himmel zusehen ist, wie er von Abend und Mittag, gegen Morgen und Mitternacht zu, seinen Fortgang gehabt, Observirt und beschrieben in Leipzig ..., Gedruckt bey Nickel Nerlich Formschneider, 1577 [1] Archived 2015-03-22 at the Wayback Machine

[addin3-6] "The Story of the Two Astronomers Who Studied the Great Comet of 1577". Interesting Engineering. September 5, 2016.

[7] Barker, P., & Goldstein, B. R. (2001). Theological foundations of Keplers astronomy. Ithaca, NY.

[8] Robert S. Westman, "The Comet and the Cosmos: Kepler, Mästlin, and the Copernican Hypothesis", in The Reception of Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory: Proceedings of a Symposium Organized by the Nicolas Copernicus Committee of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science, Torun, Poland, 1973 (Springer, 1973), pp. 10 and 28. For a description and reproduction of Helisaeus Roeslin's diagram, see pp. 28–29 online.

[Horizons2-9] NASA JPL Horizons ephemeris 2023-2030

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