Great Comet of 1811

Drawing of the comet as it was seen

The Great Comet of 1811 (C/1811 F1) was a comet visible to the naked eye for about 260 days. This was a record until the appearance of Comet Hale–Bopp in 1997. In October 1811, at its brightest, it displayed an apparent magnitude of 0, with an easily visible tail