C/1861 J1 (Tebbutt)
< C
Drawing of the Great Comet of 1861 by Edmund Weiss in his book Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt (1888) | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | John Tebbutt |
| Discovery date | 13 May 1861 |
| Designations | |
| 1861 II | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 25 May 1861 (JD 2400920.5) |
| Observation arc | 339 days |
| Number of observations | 1156 |
| Aphelion | 109 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.822 AU (1861) 0.829 AU (2267) |
| Semi-major axis | 55.1 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.985 |
| Orbital period | 406 years (epoch 1900) |
| Inclination | 85.4° |
| Last perihelion | 12 June 1861 |
| Next perihelion | 2265 2267 (JPL) |
The Great Comet of 1861, formally designated C/1861 J1 and 1861 II, is a long-period comet that was visible to the naked eye for approximately 3 months. It was categorized as a great comet—one of the eight greatest comets of the 19th century.