Who traditionally received naming credit for a comet like C/1811 F1 (Harkness) before surveys?
Answer
The first person who reported it
In the period before sophisticated automated sky surveys became the dominant method for finding comets, the naming convention was direct and favored human perception. If an individual observer, whether an amateur or a professional scanning the skies, was the first to report spotting a new comet, that person was granted the designation credit. This is exemplified by comets named after a single person, such as Halley or Harkness, indicating adherence to this straightforward rule where the first report meant receiving the name.
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