Great Comet of 1882
The Great Comet of 1882 formally designated C/1882 R1, 1882 II, and 1882b, was a comet which became very bright in September 1882. It was a member of the Kreutz Sungrazers, a family of comets which pass within 1 R☉ of the Sun's photosphere at perihelion. The comet was bright enough to be visible next to the Sun in the daytime sky at its perihelion. The comet made its closest approach to Earth on 16 September 1882 at 0.99 AU and then came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) the next day on 17 September.
Photograph of the comet as seen from Cape Town by David Gill | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Observation arc | 141 days |
| Number of observations | 4 |
| Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
| Aphelion | ≈150 AU (1600) ≈145 AU (2200) |
| Perihelion | 0.0078 AU (1882) 0.0084 AU (2498) |
| Semi-major axis | ≈75 AU (1600) ≈72 AU (2200) |
| Eccentricity | 0.999898 (1600) 0.999889 (2200) |
| Orbital period | ≈652 years (1600) ≈615 years (2200) |
| Max. orbital speed | 459 km/s (2498) |
| Inclination | 142° |
Longitude of ascending node | 348° |
| Argument of periapsis | 70° |
| Last perihelion | 1882 September 17 |
| Next perihelion | ≈2487 (Sekanina+Chodas) ≈2498 (Horizons) |
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