C/1861 J1 (Great comet)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Unclassified Comet
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Comet C/1861 J1 (Great comet) is an object whose orbit does not match any defined comet orbit class. NASA JPL has not classified Great comet as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Great comet orbits the sun every 149,000 days (407.94 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 109.34 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical.

No Close Approaches

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

Great comet's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 27, 1861. It was last officially observed on May 1, 1862. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,156 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This comet is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of C/1861 J1 (Great comet) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.