On this date in 1861, John Tebbutt of Australia discovered the Great Comet of 1861, designated C/1861 J1. Tebbutt detected the comet at an with an apparent magnitude of +4, a month before its perihelion on June 12. The comet became visible in the northern hemisphere on June 29, before word of its discovery. The comet was visible visible to the naked eye until August and in telescopes until May 1862. During its closest approach to Earth, the comet had magnitude 0 to −2 (the full moon is -12.74), with a tail of over 90 angular degrees. Famed comet observer J. F. Julius Schmidt watched in awe as the comet cast shadows on the walls of the Athens Observatory. For two days, Earth was within the comet's tail, and streams of cometary material could be seen. In 1880, German astronomer Heinrich Kreutz calculated an orbital period of 409 years. In 1995, astronomers Hasegawa and Nakano suggested it is the same comet as C/1500 H1, first observed in 1500. In 2014 astronomer Branham refined that to 365 years, supporting the link. Wikipedia excerpts Tebbutt's original account of the discovery, and many other sightings from surviving 1861 writings. Credit: https://w.wiki/NLgT Drawing: From the 1888 book Bilderatlas der Sternenwelt by Edmund Weiss https://w.wiki/NLgW Public Domain A very short spin today on the Domane, after I moved the Brooks saddle back from the Straggler. The Straggler got the saddle from my Trek hybrid, because I don't much like the Straggler's stock saddle. Both saddles still need adjustment. Then I put both bikes on the rack and drove to visit family in Santa Rosa before I head to the Climate Ride camp in Marin County. I plan to spin on Friday, the arrival day at the Climate Ride. But I've caught a cold, so I don't know how I'll feel on Saturday. I like camping, so I'll head there and just decide on Saturday and Sunday whether to ride and which routes, depending on how I feel.