Great Comet of 1843
The Great Comet of 1843, formally designated C/1843 D1 and 1843 I, was a long-period comet which became very bright in March 1843 (it is also known as the Great March Comet). It was discovered on February 5, 1843, and rapidly brightened to become a great comet. It was a member of the Kreutz Sungrazers, a family of comets resulting from the breakup of a parent comet (X/1106 C1) into multiple fragments in about 1106. These comets pass extremely close to the surface of the Sun—within a few solar radii—and often become very bright as a result.
A painting of the sungrazing Great Comet of 1843, as seen from Tasmania, by Mary Morton Allport | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | February 5, 1843 |
| Designations | |
Alternative designations | Great Comet of 1843, Great March Comet, 1843 I, 1843 D1 |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Observation arc | 45 days |
| Number of observations | 200 |
| Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
| Aphelion | 156 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.00553 AU (827 thousand km) |
| Semi-major axis | 78 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99993 |
| Orbital period | 600–800? yr |
| Max. orbital speed | 566.6 km/s |
| Inclination | 144.4° |
| Last perihelion | February 27, 1843 |
| Next perihelion | unknown |
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