The Great Comet of 1744, also known as Comet de Chéseaux, was first seen in December 1743 by the Dutch astronomer Dirk Klinkenberg and independently by the Swiss astronomer Jean-Philippe de Chéseaux. It brightened greatly as it approached the Sun, and in early March 1744 it was visible in daylight with a bright head. Its most striking feature, seen as it rose before dawn, was a fan of up to six separate tails, a sight that astonished observers across Europe. The comet is among the brightest and most spectacular of the eighteenth century. Its orbit is non-periodic or has a period of many thousands of years, so it will not return in the foreseeable future.
Before and after
- 14 August 1742Birth of Pius VII
- 2 April 1743Birth of Thomas Jefferson
- 27 June 1743Battle of Dettingen
- 26 August 1743Birth of Antoine Lavoisier
- 9 December 1743Discovery of Great Comet of 1744
- 1744Rise of House of Saud
- 1 August 1744Birth of Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck
- from 7 August 1744 to 25 December 1745Second Silesian War
- 1745Founding of North Adams
More in Universe & space
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Io
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Callisto
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Europa
- 7 January 1610Discovery of Ganymede
- 7 January 1610Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter
- 25 March 1655Discovery of Titan
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.