3D/Biela is the official designation for a lost periodic comet discovered in 1826 by Wilhelm von Biela. It is sometimes known as Comet Biela or Biela's Comet. Comet Hale-Bopp, showing a white dust tail and blue gas tail (February 1997) A comet is a small astronomical object similar to an asteroid but composed largely of ice. ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Wilhelm von Biela (March 19, 1782 – February 18, 1856) was an Austrian military officer and amateur astronomer. ...

The comet was sighted in 1772 by Charles Messier and in 1805 by Jean-Louis Pons. However, it was Wilhelm von Biela who discovered it in its 1826 perihelion approach (on February 27) and calculated its orbit, discovering it to be periodic with period 6.6 years. It was only the third comet (at the time) found to be periodic, after the famous comets Halley and Encke. 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Messier Charles Messier (June 26, 1730 – (April 12, ]) was a French astronomer who in 1774 published a catalogue of 45 deep sky objects such as nebulae and star clusters. ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Jean Louis Pons (1761 - 1831) was a French astronomer in Italy. ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ... February 27 is the 58th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... A calculation is a deliberate process for transforming one or more inputs into one or more results. ... In physics, an orbit is the path that an object makes, around another object, whilst under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity. ... Comet Halley as taken with the Halley Multicolor Camera on the ESA Giotto mission. ... Comet Encke (officially designated 2P/Encke) is a periodic comet, named after Johann Franz Encke, who through laborious study of its orbit and many calculations was able to link multiple observations in the years 1786, 1795, 1805 and 1818 to the same object. ...

In its 1846 appearance, the comet was observed to have broken up into two pieces. It was observed again in 1852 but never seen again. In 1872, a brilliant meteor shower was observed radiating from the part of the sky where the comet had been expected to appear. These meteors became known as the Andromedids or "Bielids" and it seems apparent that they indicated the death of the comet. The meteors were seen again on subsequent occasions for the rest of the 19th century, but have now faded away. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: Planetology | Astronomy stubs ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A highly speculative theory suggests that a fragment of Biela's Comet may have been responsible for starting the Peshtigo Fire, the Saugatuck Fire and Great Chicago Fire. However, there is no direct evidence of this. The Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin has the distinction of being the deadliest conflagration in US history. ... Artists rendering of the fire, by John R Chapin. ... Evidence is: Any observable event which tends to prove or disprove a proposition, see scientific method and reality. ...