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Monk Eilmer of Malmesbury saw Halley's Comet 600 years before Edmond Halley

Monk Eilmer of Malmesbury saw Halley's Comet 600 years before Edmond Halley
'You source of tears...': A monk saw the 76-year comet TWICE 600 years before Edmond Halley did · wionews.com

A long time ago, a monk named Eilmer saw a special comet in the sky.

He saw it twice, once when he was young and again when he was older.

This comet is now called Halley's Comet.

A scientist named Edmond Halley later figured out that this comet comes back every 76 years.

But Eilmer saw it first, even though most people didn't know about his discovery.

The comet was also seen in other places like China and was even drawn on a famous tapestry.

In old times, people thought comets brought bad luck, like the death of kings or wars.

Eilmer even said the comet made many mothers cry.

Edmond Halley used science to show how the comet moves, but he didn't live to see his prediction come true.

Key facts

Eilmer of Malmesbury
11th-century English Benedictine monk
Edmond Halley
17th-18th century astronomer
Halley's Comet
Periodic comet with an orbit of approximately 76 years
First Observation
989 CE by Eilmer of Malmesbury
Second Observation
1066 CE by Eilmer of Malmesbury
Edmond Halley's Prediction
1758 CE
Comet Visibility in 1066
Over two months in China, reaching peak brightness on 22 April
Bayeux Tapestry
Illustrates Halley's Comet

Quotes

Eilmer of Malmesbury

An 11th-century English Benedictine monk who observed Halley's Comet twice in his lifetime.

“You've come, have you? ... It is long since I saw you... You source of tears to many mothers.”
wionews.com

Sources

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