Caesar's Comet
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Unknown |
| Discovery date | May 18, 44 BC (earliest mention) |
| Alternative designations |
Comet Caesar, Sidus lulium "Julian Star", Caesaris astrum "Star of Caesar", C/-43 K1, Great comet of 44 BC |
| Orbital characteristics A | |
| Perihelion | 0.224 AU |
| Eccentricity | 1.0 |
| Inclination | 110° |
| Last perihelion | May 25, -43 |
| Next perihelion | Ejection trajectory |
Caesar's Comet (numerical designation C/-43 K1) – also known as Comet Caesar and the Great Comet of 44 BC – was perhaps the most famous comet of antiquity. Its seven-day visitation was interpreted by Romans as a sign of the deification of recently assassinated dictator, Julius Caesar (100–44 BC).
Caesar's Comet is one of only five comets known to have had a negative absolute magnitude and may have been the brightest daylight comet in recorded history. It was not periodic and may have disintegrated. The parabolic orbital solution estimates that the comet would now be more than 800 AU from the Sun.
Caesar's Comet was known to ancient writers as the Sidus Iulium ("Julian Star") or Caesaris astrum ("Star of Caesar"). The bright, daylight-visible comet appeared suddenly during the festival known as the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris – for which the 44 BC iteration was long considered to have been held in the month of September (a conclusion drawn by Sir Edmund Halley). The dating has recently been revised to a July occurrence in the same year, some four months after the assassination of Julius Caesar, as well as Caesar's own birth month. According to Suetonius, as celebrations were getting underway, "a comet shone for seven successive days, rising about the eleventh hour, and was believed to be the soul of Caesar."
The Comet became a powerful symbol in the political propaganda that launched the career of Caesar's great-nephew (and adoptive son) Augustus. The Temple of Divus Iulius (Temple of the Deified Julius) was built (42 BC) and dedicated (29 BC) by Augustus for purposes of fostering a "cult of the comet". (It was also known as the "Temple of the Comet Star".) At the back of the temple a huge image of Caesar was erected and, according to Ovid, a flaming comet was affixed to its forehead:
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