page_title: Great comet
hierarchical_section_title: Great comet
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Von einem schrecklichen und wunderbarlichen Cometen so sich den Dienstag nach Martini dieses lauffenden M. D. LXXViJ. Jahrs am Himmel erzeiget hat. (Geschrieben von Peter Codicillus von Tulechova) English: About a terrible and marvelous comet as appeared the Tuesday after St. Martin's Day (1577-11-12) on heaven. (Written by Peter Codicillus of Tulechova) A depiction of the Great Comet of 1577 over Prague. In addition to the comet, five zodiac symbols appear in the sky: (L-R) Aries, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Sagittarius. Below the comet's tail are the crescent moon and Saturn, depicted as a star with the astronomical symbol ♄. At the bottom center, a man draws the comet by the light of a lantern.
context_page_description: A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term is attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which during certain appearances are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who are not looking for them, and become well known outside the astronomical community. Great comets are rare; on average, only one will appear in a decade. Although comets are officially named after their discoverers, great comets are sometimes also referred to by the year in which they appeared great, using the formulation "The Great Comet of ...", followed by the year.
context_section_description: A great comet is a comet that becomes exceptionally bright. There is no official definition; often the term is attached to comets such as Halley's Comet, which during certain appearances are bright enough to be noticed by casual observers who are not looking for them, and become well known outside the astronomical community. Great comets are rare; on average, only one will appear in a decade. Although comets are officially named after their discoverers, great comets are sometimes also referred to by the year in which they appeared great, using the formulation "The Great Comet of ...", followed by the year.
caption: The Great Comet of 1577, depicted in a woodcut, over Prague
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