| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by: | Giovanni Battista Donati |
| Discovery date: | 1858 |
| Alternate designations: | 1858 VI |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Epoch: | 1858-Oct-08 (JD 2399960.5) |
| Aphelion: | ~289 AU[1] |
| Perihelion: | 0.578 AU[2] |
| Semi-major axis: | ~147 AU[1] |
| Eccentricity: | 0.996 |
| Orbital period: | ~1,739 yr[1] |
| Inclination: | 116.9°[2] |
| Last perihelion: | September 30, 1858[2] |
| Next perihelion: | unknown |
Comet Donati, or Donati's Comet, formally designated C/1858 L1 and 1858 VI, is a long-period comet named after the Italian astronomer Giovanni Battista Donati who first observed it on June 2, 1858. After the Great Comet of 1811, it was the most brilliant comet that appeared in the 19th century. It was also the first comet to be photographed. It was nearest the Earth on October 10, 1858. The comet has an orbital inclination of 116.9°.[2]
Abraham Lincoln, then a candidate for a seat in the U.S. Senate, sat up on the porch of his hotel in Jonesboro, Illinois to see "Donti's Comet" on September 14, 1858, the night before the third of his historic debates with Stephen Douglas.[3] Donati's Comet appears as a streak and star in the early evening sky of a painting by William Dyce, A Recollection of October 5th, 1858.[4]