Trending

May 13. 2013 – Anniversary of the Discovery of the Great Comet of 1861

May 13, 2013

AnnAustralian youth named John Tebbutt purchased a marine sextant whennhe was only 19 years old.
n
n

n
n

nHenalso acquired a clock with a seconds pendulum and a small telescope,nand he used all of these instruments to make observations of thenstars and other celestial objects in the nighttime skies.

n
n

nThisnwas back in the 1800s, and at that time most of the world’s astronomers lived innthe Northern Hemisphere. They were eager to learn from the data thatnthe amateur astronomer from Australia was recording. While still innhis 20s, Tebbutt actually built a small wooden observatory with hisnown hands!

n
n

nAndnon this date in 1861, he discovered a previously unknown comet.

n
n

nTebbuttntried to send word of the new comet and the orbit he had computednfor it to other astronomers, but they spotted the comet before theynreceived his news. (Remember, back then before telephones and telegrams, news traveled slowly.) Still, Tebbutt is credited with the discovery.

n
n

nThencomet was considered “Great” because it was very bright. It wasnvisible to the naked eye for about three months. But I think it wasngreat because of a very unusual circumstance: for two days during thentime when the comet was closest to Earth, Earth actually crossednthrough the comet’s tail! That meant that people could see streams ofncometary material converging on the bright body of the comet itself.nJust check out these pictures people drew:

n
n