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The Chinese records are not only the most extensive from ancient times, they are also the most accurate, often to within half a degree of right ascension. Western measurements did not overtake them for accuracy until the fifteenth century: in 1456 AD Paolo Toscanelli tracked the progress of Halley's Comet to within a fraction of a degree. [3]
Little is known of what people thought about comets before Aristotle, who observed his eponymous comet, and most of what is known comes secondhand.From cuneiform astronomical tablets, and works by Aristotle, Diodorus Siculus, Seneca, and one attributed to Plutarch but now thought to be Aetius, it is observed that ancient philosophers divided themselves into two main camps.
Caesar's Comet was known to ancient writers as the Sidus Iulium ("Julian Star") or Caesaris astrum ("Star of Julius Caesar"). The bright, daylight-visible comet appeared suddenly during the festival known as the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris—for which the 44 BC iteration was long considered to have been held in the month of September (a conclusion drawn by Edmund Halley).
The exploding comet also created tornado-force winds which hurtled the chunks of molten glass across the region. A comet glowing in the night sky just above the horizon. (Image/Alberto Agostini)
The Great Comet of 372–371 BC (sometimes Aristotle's Comet) was a comet that was observed by Aristotle, [1] Ephorus, [2] and Callisthenes. [3] Ephorus reported that it split into two pieces, [ 2 ] a larger fragment that is thought to have possibly returned in 1106 AD , as X/1106 C1 , [ 4 ] and another smaller fragment.
Scientists in Germany have observed a comet-like object in a distant galaxy that is similar in composition to the famed Halley's comet -- just a LOT bigger. Astronomers discover comet 100,000 ...
The famous Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 was the ninth periodic comet jointly discovered by Carolyn Shoemaker, Eugene Shoemaker, and David Levy (the Shoemaker–Levy team has also discovered four non-periodic comets interspersed with the periodic ones), but its systematic name is D/1993 F2 (it was discovered in 1993 and the prefix "D/" is applied ...
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) has been shining progressively brighter in recent weeks, and experts say that it is now bright enough to see with the unaided eye from dark areas. A zoomed-in image of Comet ...