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Health & Science4h 5m ago
James Aitcheson of the University of Leicester argues that Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen a different comet altogether in his youth—the comet of 1018, not Halley's Comet in 989.
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Malmesbury, British Isles
Who
Eilmer of Malmesbury, William of Malmesbury, James Aitcheson
What
James Aitcheson of the University of Leicester argues that Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen a different comet altogether in his youth—the comet of 1018, not Halley's Comet in 989.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:02:53 GMT · 4h 5m ago
Where
Malmesbury, British Isles ·
Why
The interpretation of what Eilmer saw challenges recent speculation that he understood the periodicity of Halley’s comet centuries before Edmund Halley.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This reinterpretation by Aitcheson could change the understanding of historical astronomical observations and the intellectual capacity attributed to medieval sky-watchers regarding cometary periodicity.
Story chain
8 events in this thread- Health & Science4h 5m agoJames Aitcheson of the University of Leicester argues that medieval monk Eilmer of Malmesbury likely saw the comet of 1018, not an earlier pass of Halley's Comet in 989, thereby challenging recent speculation about Eilmer's understanding of comet periodicity.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m agoJames Aitcheson of the University of Leicester suggests that Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen a different comet in 1018, rather than an earlier fly-by of Halley's Comet.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m agoUniversity of Leicester historian James Aitcheson argues that the Benedictine monk Eilmer of Malmesbury likely saw two different comets, rather than Halley's Comet twice, challenging previous assumptions.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m agoA historian from the University of Leicester suggests that Eilmer of Malmesbury, a Benedictine monk, may have seen two different comets in his lifetime, rather than Halley's Comet twice.Open article
- Currently Reading4h 5m agoJames Aitcheson of the University of Leicester argues that Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen a different comet altogether in his youth—the comet of 1018, not Halley's Comet in 989.
- Health & Science4h 5m agoUniversity of Leicester historian James Aitcheson suggests that Eilmer of Malmesbury, a monk known for an early flight attempt, likely saw two different comets in his lifetime rather than two appearances of Halley's Comet.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m agoUniversity of Leicester historian James Aitcheson suggests that the medieval monk Eilmer of Malmesbury may have seen two different comets, rather than Halley's Comet twice, challenging recent speculation.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m agoHistorian James Aitcheson argues in a new paper that the medieval monk Eilmer of Malmesbury likely saw two different comets in his lifetime, rather than two appearances of Halley's Comet.Open article