Discovery of the Great Comet of 1811
- When
- 1811
- Where
- Viviers
- Episodes
- 1
The Great Comet of 1811 was discovered on March 25, 1811, by Honoré Flaugergues at Viviers, France. Flaugergues, a French astronomer born in Viviers, identified the comet in the constellation Argo Navis when it was 2.7 AU from the Sun. This event marks the initial observation of a comet that would remain visible for an extended period.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Honoré Flaugergues was a French astronomer who discovered the Great Comet of 1811 (C/1811 F1) and independently co-discovered the Great Comet of 1807 (C/1807 R1). He was born in Viviers, Ardèche, the son of magistrate Antoine-Dominique Flaugergues, whose family originated from Rouergue. His broader biography and the comet's subsequent visibility history lie outside this event's scope.
Discovery. The comet was discovered on March 25, 1811, by Honoré Flaugergues. At the time of discovery, the comet was located 2.7 AU from the Sun within the now-defunct constellation of Argo Navis. Flaugergues also independently co-discovered the Great Comet of 1807, establishing his reputation as an observer of significant cometary events.
People involved
- Honoré Flaugergues · Astronomer
Sources
- Honoré Flaugergues Wikipedia, revision of 2026-02-04
- Great Comet of 1811 Wikipedia, revision of 2026-04-09
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.