Great Comet of 1556
Encyclopedia
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. Its apparent diameter was equal to half that of the Moon
, and the tail resembled " the flame of a torch agitated by the wind,"—an expression doubtless referring to the coruscation which are sometimes visible in the tails of comets. Cornelius Gemma
(the son of Gemma Frisius
) says, the head of the comet, when it first appeared, was fully as large as Jupiter
; its color resembled that of Mars
.
The course of the comet of 1556 was observed by Paul Fabricius, a mathematician and physician at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
.
An English treatise (anonymous) on "Blazing Stares" (1618) speaks of the comet as follows :
friar Gaspar da Cruz
, who visited Guangzhou
in 1556, associated the comet with the devastating 1556 Shaanxi earthquake. In his 1569 book he wondered if the comet was a sign of calamities not just for China, but for the entire world - and could be even the sign of the birth of Antichrist
.
was led to conclude, as Richard Dunthorne
had been in the previous century, that the comet of Charles V. was that of 1264 returned. At any rate, he found a high degree of probability in favor of the conclusion at which he had arrived, and warmly gave support to the view that the bodies of these years were identical. Hence he concluded that a return to perihelion might be looked for about the middle of this century, 1848 to 1850. So far no observed comet has matched the orbital elements
of either comet and David A. Sargent writes that available evidence points to there being no connection between the two.
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...
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. Its apparent diameter was equal to half that of the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
, and the tail resembled " the flame of a torch agitated by the wind,"—an expression doubtless referring to the coruscation which are sometimes visible in the tails of comets. Cornelius Gemma
Cornelius Gemma
Cornelius Gemma was a physician, astronomer and astrologer, and the oldest son of cartographer and instrument-maker Gemma Frisius...
(the son of Gemma Frisius
Gemma Frisius
Gemma Frisius , was a physician, mathematician, cartographer, philosopher, and instrument maker...
) says, the head of the comet, when it first appeared, was fully as large as Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
; its color resembled that of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
.
The course of the comet of 1556 was observed by Paul Fabricius, a mathematician and physician at the court of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
.
Charles V comet
The Great Comet of 1556 is called the comet of Charles V. When the Emperor first caught sight of it he stood aghast, and exclaimed: "By this dread sign my fates do summon me". Charles had long meditated about retiring from the world he had conquered and crushed. Regarding the comet as a sign of Heaven's command to do so, he hastened towards the peaceful monastery of St. Juste, Placentia.An English treatise (anonymous) on "Blazing Stares" (1618) speaks of the comet as follows :
Contemporary religious interpretation
The Portuguese DominicanDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friar Gaspar da Cruz
Gaspar da Cruz
Gaspar da Cruz was a Portuguese Dominican friar born in Évora, who traveled to Asia and wrote one of the first detailed European accounts about China.-Biography:Gaspar da Cruz was admitted to the Order of Preachers convent of Azeitão...
, who visited Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
in 1556, associated the comet with the devastating 1556 Shaanxi earthquake. In his 1569 book he wondered if the comet was a sign of calamities not just for China, but for the entire world - and could be even the sign of the birth of Antichrist
Antichrist
The term or title antichrist, in Christian theology, refers to a leader who fulfills Biblical prophecies concerning an adversary of Christ, while resembling him in a deceptive manner...
.
Alleged connection to the Great Comet of 1264
Grounding his calculations upon elements deduced from Conrad Wolfhardt's chart along with some other rude data gathered from old records, and comparing the result he obtained with the account given by Friar Giles of Cambridge of a grand comet which appeared in 1264, John Russell HindJohn 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...
was led to conclude, as Richard Dunthorne
Richard Dunthorne
Richard Dunthorne was an English astronomer and surveyor, who worked in Cambridge as astronomical and scientific assistant to Roger Long , and also concurrently for many years as surveyor to the Bedford Level Corporation.-Life and work:There are short biographical notes of Dunthorne, one in...
had been in the previous century, that the comet of Charles V. was that of 1264 returned. At any rate, he found a high degree of probability in favor of the conclusion at which he had arrived, and warmly gave support to the view that the bodies of these years were identical. Hence he concluded that a return to perihelion might be looked for about the middle of this century, 1848 to 1850. So far no observed comet has matched the orbital elements
Orbital elements
Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial mechanics these elements are generally considered in classical two-body systems, where a Kepler orbit is used...
of either comet and David A. Sargent writes that available evidence points to there being no connection between the two.