Great Comet of 1264
Encyclopedia
The great comet of 1264 (C/1264 N1) was one of the brightest comet
s on record. It appeared in July 1264 and remained visible to the end of September. It was first seen during the evenings after sunset, but appeared in its greatest splendor in weeks afterward, when it became visible during the mornings in the northeastern sky, with the tail perceived long before the comet itself rose above the horizon
.
The head of the comet seemed like an obscure and ill-defined star, and the tail passed from this portion of it like expanded flames, stretching forth towards the mid-heavens to a distance of one hundred degrees from the nucleus.
The comet of 1264 was described to have been an object of great size and brilliancy. The comet's splendor was greatest at the end of August and the beginning of September. At that time, when the head was just visible above the eastern horizon in the morning sky, the tail stretched out past the mid-heaven towards the west, or was nearly 100° in length.
The chroniclers of the time mention the various remarkable events which occurred in Europe at this period, and in particular connect the appearance of the comet with the death of Pope Urban IV
, who allegedly fell sick on the very day when the comet was first seen, and died at the exact time it disappeared on October 3, 1264. It was said that the "prodigy of a hairy star" had brought upon his illness, and slipped away when the job was finished.
This comet was likewise observed in China, and the descriptions agree with the statements of the European historians.
and the Great comet of 1264 are the same comet. Alexandre Guy Pingré
, who in his Cométographie (1783) calls the Great comet of 1264 a "great and celebrated comet", calculated the comet's parabolic orbit, which he found bore great resemblance to that of the comet of 1556. The comet of 1264, says Pingré, "is very probably the same as that of 1556; its periodical revolution is about 292 years; and its return may consequently be expected about 1848."
John Russell Hind
in On the expected return of the great comet of 1264 and 1556 says:
However, in 1877, Amédée Guillemin
wrote, in part quoting Babinet,
Comets sometimes may disappear because of orbital derangement from an ellipse
to a parabola
or a hyperbola
. Sir Isaac Newton
showed that a body controlled by the sun moves in a conic section
—that is, an ellipse, a parabola or a hyperbola. As the latter two are open curves, a comet which pursued such a path would go off into space never to reappear. A derangement of orbit from closed to open curve has doubtless happened often.
Comet
A comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
s on record. It appeared in July 1264 and remained visible to the end of September. It was first seen during the evenings after sunset, but appeared in its greatest splendor in weeks afterward, when it became visible during the mornings in the northeastern sky, with the tail perceived long before the comet itself rose above the horizon
Horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates earth from sky, the line that divides all visible directions into two categories: those that intersect the Earth's surface, and those that do not. At many locations, the true horizon is obscured by trees, buildings, mountains, etc., and the resulting...
.
The head of the comet seemed like an obscure and ill-defined star, and the tail passed from this portion of it like expanded flames, stretching forth towards the mid-heavens to a distance of one hundred degrees from the nucleus.
The comet of 1264 was described to have been an object of great size and brilliancy. The comet's splendor was greatest at the end of August and the beginning of September. At that time, when the head was just visible above the eastern horizon in the morning sky, the tail stretched out past the mid-heaven towards the west, or was nearly 100° in length.
The chroniclers of the time mention the various remarkable events which occurred in Europe at this period, and in particular connect the appearance of the comet with the death of Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV
Pope Urban IV , born Jacques Pantaléon, was Pope, from 1261 to 1264. He was not a cardinal, and there have been several Popes since him who have not been Cardinals, including Urban V and Urban VI.-Biography:...
, who allegedly fell sick on the very day when the comet was first seen, and died at the exact time it disappeared on October 3, 1264. It was said that the "prodigy of a hairy star" had brought upon his illness, and slipped away when the job was finished.
This comet was likewise observed in China, and the descriptions agree with the statements of the European historians.
Alleged connection to the Great comet of 1556
The astronomers speculated that the Great Comet of 1556Great Comet of 1556
The Great Comet of 1556 is a famous comet that first appeared in February of 1556.The Great Comet of 1556, known as C/1556 D1 in modern nomenclature, appears to have been seen in some places before the end of February; but it was not generally observed until the middle of the first week in March...
and the Great comet of 1264 are the same comet. Alexandre Guy Pingré
Alexandre Guy Pingré
Alexandre Guy Pingré was a French astronomer, priest, and naval geographer.He was born in Paris, France, and was educated at Senlis, where he became professor of theology in 1735. At an early age he had developed an interest in astronomy, and in 1749 he was appointed professor of astronomy at the...
, who in his Cométographie (1783) calls the Great comet of 1264 a "great and celebrated comet", calculated the comet's parabolic orbit, which he found bore great resemblance to that of the comet of 1556. The comet of 1264, says Pingré, "is very probably the same as that of 1556; its periodical revolution is about 292 years; and its return may consequently be expected about 1848."
John Russell Hind
John Russell Hind
John Russell Hind FRS was an English astronomer.- Life and work :John Russell Hind was born in 1823 in Nottingham, the son of lace manufacturer John Hind, and was educated at Nottingham High School...
in On the expected return of the great comet of 1264 and 1556 says:
However, in 1877, Amédée Guillemin
Amédée Guillemin
Amédée Guillemin was a French science writer and a journalist.Guillemin started his studies at Beaune college before taking his final degree in Paris. He subsequently taught mathematics in a private school while writing articles for the Liberal press criticizing the Second French Empire...
wrote, in part quoting Babinet,
Comets sometimes may disappear because of orbital derangement from an ellipse
Ellipse
In geometry, an ellipse is a plane curve that results from the intersection of a cone by a plane in a way that produces a closed curve. Circles are special cases of ellipses, obtained when the cutting plane is orthogonal to the cone's axis...
to a parabola
Parabola
In mathematics, the parabola is a conic section, the intersection of a right circular conical surface and a plane parallel to a generating straight line of that surface...
or a hyperbola
Hyperbola
In mathematics a hyperbola is a curve, specifically a smooth curve that lies in a plane, which can be defined either by its geometric properties or by the kinds of equations for which it is the solution set. A hyperbola has two pieces, called connected components or branches, which are mirror...
. Sir Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...
showed that a body controlled by the sun moves in a conic section
Conic section
In mathematics, a conic section is a curve obtained by intersecting a cone with a plane. In analytic geometry, a conic may be defined as a plane algebraic curve of degree 2...
—that is, an ellipse, a parabola or a hyperbola. As the latter two are open curves, a comet which pursued such a path would go off into space never to reappear. A derangement of orbit from closed to open curve has doubtless happened often.