The Greatest Comets in History

1. Front Matter

   Pages 1-16

   PDF

2. The Nature of Comets

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 1-30

3. Halley’s Comet Through the Ages

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 31-64

4. The Greatest Comets of Ancient Times

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 65-89

5. The Greatest Comets from A.D. 1000 to 1800

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 91-124

6. The Greatest Comets from 1800 to Present Times

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 125-190

7. Kamikaze Comets: The Kreutz Sungrazers

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 191-224

8. Daylight Comets

   • David A.J. Seargent

   Pages 225-239

9. Back Matter

   Pages 1-17

   PDF

Naked-eye comets are far from uncommon. As a rough average, one appears every 18 months or thereabouts, and it is not very unusual to see more than two in a single year. The record so far seems to have been 2004, with a total of five comets visible without optical aid. But 2006, 1970, and 1911 were not far behind with a total of four apiece. Yet, the majority of these pass unnoticed by the general public. Most simply look like fuzzy stars with tails that are either faint or below the naked-eye threshold. The ‘classical’ comet – a bright star-like object with a long flowing tail – is a sight that graces our skies about once per decade, on average. These ‘great comets’ are surely among the most beautiful objects that we can see in the heavens, and it is no wonder that they created such fear in earlier times. Just what makes a comet ‘‘great’’ is not easy to define. It is neither just about brightness nor only a matter of size. Some comets can sport prodigiously long tails and yet not be regarded as great. Others can become very bright, but hardly anyone other than a handful of enthusiastic astronomers will ever see them. Much depends on their separation from the Sun, the intensity of the tail, and so forth.

• Aristotle's comet
• Halley's comet
• astronomy
• astronomy books
• comets in history
• stars

From the reviews:

"This book is exactly what it says on the cover … . There are detailed accounts of how the comets would have appeared and changed during their appearance … and an analysis of the comments and drawings they made at the time of observing. … anyone who has an interest in astronomy could easily read this book. I imagine it would appeal particularly to those who are interested in astronomical history and in particular comets." (David Bowdley, Astronomy Now, June, 2009)

"For those with an historical interest in comets, this is a compelling book in that it succinctly presents an overview of almost fifty truly amazing comets … . The Greatest Comets in History … is an excellent book. It is totally affordable, and belongs in the library of all those with a passion for comets and cometary history." (Wayne Orchiston, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol.12 (1), 2009)

"In this small book, Seargent … gives observational details about his favorite comets from ancient times through the present. … the book provides comet descriptions in chronological order. Photographs and artwork illustrate some comets. … volume includes a short glossary, suggested readings, and a tabular list of the ‘greatest’ comets. Readers with an avid interest in comets will value the completeness and detail of this work … . Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of general readers, undergraduates interested in the history of astronomy, and professionals." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 46 (11), July, 2009)

“The author’s wonderful descriptions of the spectacular comets that have been given the moniker of “Great”, I wish that I could have personally witnessed all of them. … I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s writing style and the way he has presented this material. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in observing comets or reading about this aspect of astronomical history.” (A. Robert, The Observatory, Vol.130 (1214), February, 2010)

• The Entrance, Australia

  David A.J. Seargent

David Seargent is a former lecturer in Philosophy with the Department of Community Programs at the University of Newcastle in Australia and is now a full-time writer. He is the author of the very popular Comets: Vagabonds of Space (Doubleday), formerly a contributing editor on comets to Sky & Space magazine, and currently author of the regular comet column for Australian Sky & Telescope (the southern hemisphere edition). He was co-author with Joseph Marcus, of a paper published in 1986 entitled "Dust forward scatter brightness enhancement in previous apparitions of Halley’s comet" (Proceedings, 20th. ESLAB Symposium on the Exploration of Halley’s Comet, Vol. 3, B. Battrick, E. J. Rolfe and R. Reinhard, eds. ESA SP-250. European Space Agency Publications). He was also the Australian co-ordinator for visual observations during the International Halley Watch, 1985-6.

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