Great Comet of 1577
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The Great Comet of 1577, known properly as C/1577 V1, was an object that passed close to Earth during the year 1577 AD. The comet was viewed by people all over Europe, including famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe.[1] From his observations of the comet, Brahe was able to discover that comets and similar objects travel above the Earth's atmosphere.[2]
[edit] Brahe's observations
It is thought that the comet traveled close to the planet Venus, based on sketches made on a page found in one of Brahe's notebooks.[2] These sketches depict the Earth at the centre, with the sun moving around it, and the other known planets revolving around the sun. This was Brahe's own hypothesis on the layout on the solar system which has since been displaced by the theory of heliocentricity.[2] Despite these misconceptions on Brahe's part, the thousands of very precise measurements he made of the comet's path enabled Johannes Kepler to theorise the laws of planetary motion.[1] Brahe, despite having taken many measurements, was not able to measure exactly how far out of the atmosphere the comet was, and could not supply figures for the distance.[3] Brahe's finding that comets were heavenly objects, while widely accepted, raised many other questions: what were the nature of these bodies, where did they come from, and did they have paths which they would consistently follow? These questions, along with many others, were heavily debated during the seventeenth century, with many theories circulating within the astronomical community. Galileo claimed that comets were optical phenomena, and that this made their parallaxes impossible to measure. However, his hypothesis was not widely accepted.[3]
The passing of the comet in 1577 allowed the theory of comets and their natures and place in the sky to be dramatically reappraised, and laid down the basis for spatial observation of comets.
Among his other findings, Brahe learned that the comet's tail pointed away from the Sun.[2]
[edit] In art and literature
The literature resulting from the passing of the comet was prolific, and these works, as well as the ideas presented by many astronomers, caused much controversy. However, the idea that comets were heavenly objects became a respected theory, and many took this concept to be true.[3] Artwork inspired by the event was also made—artist Jiri Daschitzky made an engraving that was inspired by the passing of the comet over Prague on November 12, 1577.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Infoplease.com. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.
- ^ a b c d www.rundetaarn.dk. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.
- ^ a b c The Galileo Project. Retrieved on 25 March, 2007.
