Comet Kohoutek 

(formally designated C/1973 E1 and formerly as 1973 XII and 1973f)[c] is

a comet that passed close to the Sun towards the end of 1973. Early predictions of the comet's
peak brightness suggested that it had the potential to become one of the brightest comets of the
20th century, capturing the attention of the wider public and the press and earning the comet the
moniker of "Comet of the Century". Although Kohoutek became rather bright, the comet was
ultimately far dimmer than the optimistic projections: its apparent magnitude peaked at only –3
(as opposed to predictions of roughly magnitude –10) and it was visible for only a short period,
quickly dimming below naked-eye visibility by the end of January 1974.[d]
The comet was discovered by and named after Luboš Kohoutek at the Hamburg Observatory on
18 March 1973; Kohoutek had been searching for Biela's Comet and had fortuitously discovered
his eponymous comet while reviewing photographic plates for a different object. The comet was
discovered farther away from the Sun than any previous comet. Conventional practices for
predicting comet brightness led to generous projections of Comet Kohoutek's luminosity towards
the end of 1973 and the beginning of 1974, leading to great anticipation within both scientific
circles and the general public. Comet Kohoutek reached perihelion on 28 December 1973.
Though the comet was then at its brightest, it could only be observed by scientific
instrumentation and astronauts on Skylab. For most ground observers, Kohoutek only reached
as bright as magnitude 0 when it emerged from the Sun's glare in January 1974. It quickly faded
beyond naked-eye visibility later that month and was last observed in November 1974. Due to its
underwhelming brightness, Kohoutek became synonymous with spectacular disappointment.
Because of its early detection and unique characteristics, numerous scientific assets were
dedicated to observing Kohoutek during its 1973–74 traversal of the inner Solar System, making
Kohoutek the most well-studied comet at the time; the resulting findings significantly advanced
the understanding of comets. The identification of larger and more complex molecules emanating
from Kohoutek alongside related but simpler chemical species confirmed the hypothesis that
comets were composed of larger molecules that dissociated into simpler products. The
significant presence of gasses and plasma expelled from Kohoutek supported the longstanding
"dirty snowball" hypothesis concerning the composition of comet nuclei. The detection of water,
[e]
 methyl cyanide, hydrogen cyanide, and silicon in Kohoutek were the first time such chemical
species were observed in any comet. Its underwhelming display challenged longstanding
assumptions regarding the light curve of similar comets entering the inner Solar System.
Kohoutek's highly eccentric orbit preceding its 1973 perihelion suggests that it may have been
formed early in the formation of the Solar System or it may have originated from a
different planetary system. Its orbital period may have been initially on the order of several million
years, or its 1973 apparition may have been its first trek into the inner Solar System.
Its nucleus has an estimated average radius of 2.1 km (1.3 mi).[7]