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| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | 2–16 February 1106 |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch | 26 February 1106 (JD 2125080.5) |
| Observation arc | 15–70 days |
| Orbit type | Kreutz sungrazer |
| Perihelion | 0.005 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.99994 |
| Orbital period | ~748.04 years |
| Inclination | 144.54° |
| 5.8213° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 84.689° |
| Last perihelion | 26 January 1106 |
| Next perihelion | 27 February 1843[a] |
X/1106 C1, also known as theGreat Comet of 1106, was acomet that appeared on 2 February 1106, and was observed around the world from the beginning of February through to mid-March. It was recorded by astronomers inWales,England,Japan,Korea,China,Continental Europe, andEgypt.
It was observed to split into many pieces,[3] forming theGreat Comet of 1843 and several other small sungrazing comets observed by theSOHO space telescope.[2][4] It is a member of theKreutz Group, known as Subfragment I, a split from an earlier large (~150 km) comet that progressively fragmented under the influence of the Sun, possibly theGreat Comet of 371 BC.[5][6][1]
A brief note in the Welsh manuscript known as theBrut y Tywysogion reads:
[-1106]. Yn y vlwydyn honno y gwelat seren anryued y gwelet yn anuon paladyr oheuni yn ol y chefyn ac o prafter colofyn y veint a diruawr oleuat idaw, yn darogan yr hyn a vei rac llaw: kanys Henri, amherawdyr Rufein, gwedy diruawryon vudugolyaetheu a chrefudussaf vched y Grist a orffowyssawd. A'e vab ynteu, wedy cael eistedua amherodraeth Rufein, a wnaethpwyt yn amherawdyr.
This translates into English as:
[-1106]. In that year there was seen a star wonderful to behold, throwing out behind it a beam of light of the thickness of a pillar in size and of exceeding brightness, foreboding what would come to pass in the future: forHenry, emperor of Rome, after mighty victories and a most pious life in Christ, went to his rest. Andhis son, after winning the seat of the empire of Rome, was made emperor.[7]
The 1106 annal of thePeterborough Chronicle describes the comet. The Dorothy Whitlock translation reads:
In the first week of Lent, on the Friday, 16 February, in the evening, there appeared an unusual star, and for a long time after that it was seen shining a while every evening. This star appeared in the south-west; it seemed small and dark. The ray that shone from it, however, was very bright, and seemed to be like an immense beam shining north-east; and one evening it appeared as if this beam were forking into many rays toward the star from an opposite direction.
The most impressive observations of the comet come from the Japanese chronicleDainihonshi. The chronicle reported that on 7 February 1106 AD the gigantic comet appeared in the southwest and stretched across a massive portion of the sky towards the east. The brilliant comet was described as white and with a tail stretching 100 degrees across the entire sky.[1]
An excerpt from a Chinese manuscript describes the following report of a comet in 1106, mentioning the comet's breakup after perihelion, dated February 10:
In the reign ofHwuy Tsung, the 5th year of the epoch of Tsung Ning, the 1st moon [February], day Woo Seuh (Feb. 10th), a comet appeared in the west. It was like a great Pei Kow. The luminous envelope was scattered. It appeared like a broken-up star. It was 60 [degrees] in length and was 3 [degrees] in breadth. Its direction was to the north-east. It passed S.D. Kwei (southernAndromeda/northernPisces). It passed S.D. Lew (SouthernAries), Wei (Pegasus),Maou, and Peih (Taurus). It then entered into the clouds and was no more seen.[3]
The Vietnamese AnnalsĐại Việt sử ký toàn thư also recorded the comet event:
The historianIbn Aybak Al-Dawadari recorded the comet in his chronicle,Kanz al-Durar wa Jami' Al-Gurar (in 497 AH / 1106 AD)[8]
وفيها ظهر كوكب عظيم بالشرق أبيض كأنّه القمر، له ذؤآبة من شرقيّه، تقدير طولها مئة وخمسين ذراعا، وله شعاع وضوء كالقمر الزاهر، وأقام يتردّد مدّة أيّام وليال. وكان إذا كان مع القمر يظنّ الناس أنّهما قمران، لولا ما فضل القمر بذؤآبته، وكان من الأعاجيب السمائيةAnd during that time, a great star appeared in the east, white as the moon, with a tail extending eastward, estimated to be one hundred and fifty cubits long. It radiated light and brilliance like a shining moon, and it lingered for several days and nights. When it was near the moon, people thought there were two moons, were it not for the tail distinguishing the celestial body from the moon. It was among the heavenly wonders.
The source of these quotes is the edited version of the Chronicles by Thomas Jones, Brut y Tywysogyon, or, the Chronicle of the Princes: Red Book of Hergest version, University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 1955
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