Discovery of Great January comet of 1910

The Great January Comet of 1910 was a very bright comet that appeared in the sky a few months before the more famous return of Halley's Comet. It was first noticed by miners at the Premier diamond mine near Pretoria, in South Africa, who saw it in the twilight. Within days it became bright enough to be seen in daylight, with a long tail that stretched across the sky. Because it appeared at a time when Halley's Comet was expected, many people mistook it for Halley's, and it caused wide public interest. For a time it outshone Halley's Comet, which only became prominent a few months later. It faded over the following weeks.

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