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Health & Science3h 54m ago
A 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.
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Malmesbury, England
Who
Eilmer of Malmesbury, William of Malmesbury, James Aitcheson
What
A 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.
When
Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:02:53 GMT · 3h 54m ago
Where
Malmesbury, England ·
Why
James Aitcheson argues that Eilmer may have seen the comet of 1018 in his youth, and then Halley's Comet in 1066, challenging the idea that Eilmer understood the comet's periodicity.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This debate impacts the historical understanding of early astronomical observations and challenges previous speculation about medieval knowledge of cometary periodicity, suggesting Eilmer might not have recognized Halley's Comet's recurring nature.
Story chain
8 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 54m 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 & Science3h 54m 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 & Science3h 54m 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
- Currently Reading3h 54m 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.
- Health & Science3h 54m 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.Open article
- Health & Science3h 54m 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 & Science3h 54m 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 & Science3h 54m 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