C/1729 P1 (Sarabat)
A celestial map detailing the path of Comet Sarabat across the sky by Jacques Cassini | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Fr. Nicolas Sarabat |
| Discovery site | Nîmes, France |
| Discovery date | 1 August 1729 |
| Designations | |
| Comet of 1729 | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch | 16 June 1729 (JD 2352731.148) |
| Observation arc | 135 days |
| Number of observations | 3 (very poorly determined) |
| Perihelion | 4.05054 AU |
| Eccentricity | ~1.000 (assumed) |
| Inclination | 77.095° |
| 314.393° | |
| Argument of periapsis | 10.403° |
| Last perihelion | 16 June 1729 |
| Next perihelion | Ejection trajectory (assumed) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | ~100 km (62 mi) |
| Comet total magnitude (M1) | –3.0 |
| 3–4 (1729 apparition) | |
The Comet of 1729, also known as C/1729 P1 or Comet Sarabat, was an assumed parabolic comet with an absolute magnitude of −3, possibly the brightest ever observed for a comet; it is therefore considered to be potentially the largest comet ever seen. With an assumed eccentricity of 1, it is unknown if this comet will return in a hundred thousand years or be ejected from the Solar System.