Napoleon's Comet
A great comet hung in the sky for most of 1811, and people later saw it as an omen of Napoleon's march on Moscow.
What was reported
On 25 March 1811, the French astronomer Honoré Flaugergues, at Viviers in the Rhône valley, spotted a comet that grew into one of the most spectacular ever seen. It was visible to the naked eye for about 260 days, a record that stood for almost two centuries.
Many saw it as an omen. The next year Napoleon invaded Russia, and Tolstoy later described Pierre gazing up at the comet over Moscow in War and Peace.
Explanations offered
It was an unusually large comet whose path kept it well placed in the sky for months. It won't return for thousands of years. Wine makers of the time even sold their 1811 vintage as 'comet wine'.
- When
- 25 March 1811
- Where
- Viviers, Ardèche, France
- Witnesses
- People across the Northern Hemisphere
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.