Great Comet of 1680

Lore & Background

The comet was discovered by Gottfried Kirch, a German astronomer, on 14 November 1680 (New Style), in Coburg, and it became one of the brightest comets of the seventeenth century – reputedly visible even in daytime – and was noted for its spectacularly long tail. Passing 0.42 au from Earth on 30 November 1680, it sped around an extremely close perihelion of 0.00622 AU (930,000 km; 578,000 mi); or just 1.34 solar radii, 0.34 radii above the Sun's surface) on 18 December 1680, reaching its peak brightness on 29 December as it swung outward. It was last observed on 19 March 1681.

While the Kirch Comet of 1680–1681 was discovered by – and subsequently named for – Gottfried Kirch, credit must also be given to Eusebio Kino, the Spanish Jesuit priest who charted the comet's course. During his delayed departure for Mexico, Kino began his observations of the comet in Cádiz in late 1680. Upon his arrival in Mexico City, he published his Exposición astronómica de el cometa (Astronomical Account of the Comet; Mexico City, 1681) in which he presented his findings. Kino's Exposición astronómica is among the earliest scientific treatises published by a European in the New World.

Basil Ringrose, serving under buccaneer Captain Bartholomew Sharpe, made an observation shortly before raiding the Spanish port city of Coquimbo, Chile: on Friday, November 19th, 1680, about an hour before day, he observed a comet appearing a degree north from the bright in Libra, with a dull body and a tail extending 18 or 20 degrees in length, pale in color and pointing directly N.N.W.

Reader's Guide

Although it was undeniably a sungrazing comet, it was probably not part of the Kreutz family. Isaac Newton used the comet to test and verify Kepler's laws. John Flamsteed was the first to propose that the two bright comets of 1680–1681 were the same comet, one traveling inbound to the Sun and the other outbound, and Newton originally disputed this. Newton later changed his mind, and then, with Edmond Halley's help, purloined some of Flamsteed's data to verify this was the case without giving Flamsteed credit. The comet's significance lies in its role in early telescopic discovery, its use by Newton to confirm Kepler's laws, and the controversy between Flamsteed and Newton over its identity. It also produced one of the earliest scientific treatises published by a European in the New World, authored by Eusebio Kino. As of 2026 the comet is about 260 au from the Sun, with a barycentric orbital period of roughly 10,400 years.

Did You Know?

• It was the first comet discovered by telescope.
• It passed about 235,000 km from the surface of the Sun.
• John Flamsteed first proposed that the inbound and outbound comets of 1680–1681 were the same object.