Discovered: 1110 May 28.8 (Δ=0.72 AU, r=0.85 AU, Elong.=56°)
Last seen: 1110 July
Closest to the Earth: 1110 June 11 (0.4807 AU)
Calculated path: PSC (Disc), AND (Jun. 1), CAS (Jun. 6), CEP (Jun. 12), DRA
(Jun. 15), UMi (Jun. 16), DRA (Jun. 22), UMa (Jun. 23), CVn (Jun. 30)
Just four years after the appearance of the Great Comet of 1106, the skies were graced by another comet that was observed worldwide.
Where the 1106 comet is important because of its possible relationship to the sungrazing family of comets, the comet of 1110 is
important because it may be a previous appearance of the lost periodic comet Pons—Gambart which was only seen in 1827. This was also the
first comet for which numerous detailed observations were provided by the Koreans. These observations played a major role in the determination of
the orbit below.
The Chinese were apparently the first to spot this comet, with the texts Wen hsien t'ung k'ao (1308), Sung shih (1345), and Hsii Thung Chien Kong Mu (1476)
giving pertinent details. The Chinese said a "broom star" was first seen on 1110 May 29. The comet appeared at the Khuei [β, δ, ε, ζ, η, μ, ν, and π Andromedae, and σ, τ, υ, φ, χ, and ψ 65 Piscium],
and the Lou [α, β, and γ Arietis], with its rays measuring about 6°. It moved northward to enter the Tzu-Wei Enclosure [Draco, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, and Camelopardalis].
It then entered the horizon and went out of sight in the northwest. The date and location indicate a morning sky observation, and a probable UT of May 28.8.
The second culture to report this comet was the Koreans, who recorded the most extensive series of observations. The astronomical chapter of the Korean text Koryo-sa (1451)
reports that a "broom star" was first seen on 1110 May 31. This comet is reported to have been within the Tzu-Wei Enclosure.
On June 6 it is said to have appeared at the second watch of the night
between T'ien-Chiang-Chiin [γ, υ, and 51 Andromedae, φ Persei, and β and γ Triartgulum] and Ko-Tao [ε, θ, ι, φ, and χ Cassiopeiae] and gone out of sight in the morning.
On June 8 it appeared at Fu-Lu [ζ Cassiopeiae] and Tshe-Hsing [α Cassiopeiae]. On June 9 it was seen at the southwest of Wang-Liang
[α, β, γ, η, κ, and υ Cassiopeiae]. On June 10 it appeared between Hua-Kai [ψ, ω, 32, 40, 42, 43, 48, and 50 Cassiopeiae] and Chhuan-She
[13, 32, 55, and SAO 11424 in Cassiopeiae, SAO 12704, SAO 12743, and SAO 24054 in Camelopardalis, and SAO 20853 in Cepheus]. On
June 12 it was below Hua-Kai, but was seen at the north of Liu-Chia [SAO 1179, SAO 5496, SAO 5946, SAO 6022, and SAO 6392 in Camelopardalis, and SAO 783 in Cepheus].
On June 14 it was said to have moved into the stars of Nii-Yn-Kung [τ, χ, 35, and 59 Draconis]. The probable UT of the discovery observation was
May 30.8. Although the comet could have been observable the entire night for the remainder of the observations, it would have been best
placed in the morning sky, implying UTs of June 5.8, 7.8, 8.8, 9.8, 11.8, and 13.8.
The Japanese were the next culture to discover this comet independently.
In the text Dainihonshi (1715) the first appearance of this "broom star" is
given as June 1. The comet measured about 5° and appeared in the east and
lasted more than 20 days before going out of sight. The date and location
indicate a possible morning sky observation, implying a UT of May 31.8.
The Muslim texts Mir'at al-zaman fi tarikh al- a'yan (1186) and al-Kamil fi al-ta'rikh (1233) indicate this comet was first seen barely one day after the Chinese discovery.
The al-Kamil fi al-ta'rikh says, "On 8 Dhu al—Qa' da [May 30]
there appeared in the heavens a star in the east with an elongated tail
towards the qibla [i.e., south] and continued to rise until the end of Dhu al-Hijja [mid. July]." These accounts give the longest duration of any reports.
In Europe, details of this comet appear in monastic histories written in
England, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and France. Most of these simply say a comet was seen or a comet was seen in June, but a few do provide
additional details. The Belgium text Chronica (1111) says the comet "radiated
straight toward the south" during June. The British text Chronicon ex Chron-ica (1118) says the comet first appeared on June 8 and "continued visible for
three weeks." The Italian text Annales Beneventani (1130) claims the cornet remained visible for 30 days. The German text Annales Corbeienses (1148) says
the comet was seen from June 9 until June 30. The Peterborough edi¬tion of the English text Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1154) notes, " . . in the month of June,
a star appeared in the northeast, and its ray stood out in front of it to the southwest, and was seen thus for many nights; and later on in the night,
after it climbed higher, it was seen going away to the northwest." The English text Chronicle of Henry of Huntington (1154) notes,
"This year a comet made a very unusual appearance; for, rising in the east, when it had mounted in the sky it seemed to take a retrograde course."
The Italian text Chronicon (1178) mentions a comet seen during the entire month of June in the north. The French text Chronicae S. Albini Andegavensis (1357) notes, "the
entire month of June a comet was visible, where at one time a ray extended to the east and thereafter turned to the south."
The English text Annales Monasterii de Bermundeseia (1433) says, "At the same time of year that the moon was diminishing in June the comet appeared."
The German text Annales Parchenses (1316) places the comet in 1111 July.
A link to the lost periodic comet Pons—Gambart was first suggested in 1972, when S. Kanda considered it as a "a probable identification." The
suggested link was strengthened in 1979 when I. Hasegawa derived three rough positions for the period of May 29 to June 11 and computed an orbit.
Upon comparing the orbit to that of Pons-Gambart he noted a resemblance and agreed with Kanda's earlier conclusion.
Hasegawa's orbit below gives the following details of the comet's movement. The comet reached a minimum solar elongation of 22° on April 3.
On June 16 it reached a maximum declination of +84° (apparent). On June 25 the comet reached a maximum solar elongation of 76°.
- T 1110 May 18 (UT)
- ω 358
- Ω (2000.0) 321
- i 137
- q 0.83
- e 1.0
ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE: H
m=5.0 (Kronk)
FULL MOON: May 5, June 4, July 3
SOURCES:
- Chronica (1111), p. 372
- Chronicon ex Chronica (1118), p. 219
- Annales Leodienses (1121), p. 29
- Annales Beneventani (1130), p. 183
- Annales Formoselenses (1136), p. 36
- Annales Corbeienses (1148), p. 7
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1154), p. 242
- Chronicle of Henry of Huntington (1154), p. 244
- Chronicon (1178), pp. 204-5
- Mir'at al-zainan fi tarikh al- a'yan (1186), VIII, p. 32
- Chronicle of Holyrood (1189), p. 114
- Chronica (1201), p. 167
- Chronicon S. Sergii Andegavensis (1215), p. 143
- al-Kama fi al-ta'rikh (1233), X, p. 478
- Annales Colonienses Maxinti (1238), p. 748
- Chronica Majora (1247), part 2, p. 138
- Annales Monasterii de Win-tonia (1277), p. 43
- Annales Monasterii de Waverleia (1291), p. 214
- Wen hsien Cling k'ao (1308), p. 187
- Annales Eginundani (1315), p. 449
- Annales Parchenses (1316), p. 604
- Sung shih (1345), p. 187
- Chronicae S. Albini Andegavensis (1357), p. 31
- Chronicon Sancti Maxen-tii Pictavensis (14th century), p. 424
- Annales Monasterii de Bermundeseia (1433), p. 431
- Koryo-sa (1451), p. 187
- Hsii Thung Chien Kang Mu (1476), p. 187
- Dainihonshi (1715), p. 187
- A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 390, 627
- J. Williams (1871), pp. 60-1
- G. F. Chambers (1889), p. 575
- Early Sources of Scottish History: A.D. 500-1286, Volume 2, edited and translated by Alan Orr Anderson, London: Oliver and Boyd (1922), p. 142
- Nihon Temmon Shiryo (1935), p. 505
- EHD2 (1953), p. 181
- Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 187
- R. R. Newton (1972), pp. 671, 673, 676, 680
- I. Hasegawa (1979), pp. 260-1, 263-4.
