Mankind at all times observed unusual luminous objects that appeared on the earthly firmament and had a strange, mysterious, sometimes even frightening appearance. At a time when there was a lack of scientific knowledge, any cosmic body that appeared in the sky was interpreted as a mystical or divine fact, which, most often, was a harbinger of future events. In those, by the way, not very distant times, tragic events (epidemics, cruel wars, pestilence) were an integral part of people's lives and it was with these events that they associated the appearance of comets.
A comet over the worshiping magi.
Its name "comet" (in Greek "tailed, shaggy") got just because of the unusual shape, reminiscent of a severed head with developing hair. The first in history described the appearance of a comet in 2296 BC. Chinese astronomers who closely followed the "travel" of comets across the sky. The ancient Chinese imagined the Universe as a huge empire, at the head of which was the Sun, and the planets and bright stars were the rulers who gave their instructions to the "tailed wanderers", giving them the role of courier, carrying out the instructions of the emperor. And the planets-rulers, moving through the constellations after the passage of comets, thus fulfilled the "imperial will". An interesting fact is that comets played a positive role only in China.
New time comet message.
If we turn to other historical facts (of course, if we trust the sources that have come down to our days), then we can calculate a certain pattern in the appearance of comets, as harbingers of the death of rulers and their heirs. So after the assassination of Emperor Y. Caesar in 44 BC, a bright comet shone in the sky. The death of Konstantin the great, "prophetic" Oleg, Ivan the Terrible during the appearance of comets, only strengthened this hypothesis, which provoked panic among the monarchs. In 1556, when Pope Urban IV died, the comet was also observed in the sky and King Charles V, tormented by a panic fear of death, shot at the comet with a pistol. King Louis IV also threw hysterics in 1680, and when his servants reassured him, he said: "It is good for you to joke, gentlemen: you are not princes." The great Shakespeare wrote (Julius Caesar):
On the day of the death of the beggars
Comets don't burn
Only the death of kings
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The sky broadcasts like fire …
The famous French surgeon Ambroise Paré (his name can be found not only in the history of science, but also in the work of A. Dumas "Queen Margot" for example) describes the comet in 1528 as follows: “This comet was so terrible and terrible and gave rise to such great confusion that some died of fear alone, while others fell ill. It was a luminary of enormous length and bloody color; at the top of it was visible a clenched hand holding a long sword, as if ready to strike. Three stars were visible at the end of his blade. On both sides of the rays emerging from the tail of this comet, there were many axes, knives, swords, stained with blood, and among them were visible terrible human faces with disheveled beards and erect hair. " The medieval physician and alchemist also Paracelsus believed that comets were sent to us by angels who announce death.
The comet caused a plague epidemic.
Only ancient Greek astronomers considered comets as natural phenomena that had nothing to do with the fate of mankind. The philosopher Aristotle wrote: "Since we do not have an opinion about comets based on sensations, then I should be satisfied with such an explanation that does not contain contradictions with known truths." His truth was that a comet is an atmospheric phenomenon of the "sublunar world", which belongs to earthly vapors that ignite from the proximity of the celestial "sphere of fire". However, the Roman philosopher Seneca did not share the latter's hypothesis and had his own opinion about comets. He wrote: “I cannot agree that a comet is only a kindled fire; rather, it is one of the eternal creations of nature … The comet has its own place between the celestial bodies … it describes its path and does not go out, but only moves away. Let's not be surprisedthat the laws of motion of comets have not yet been solved; the time will come when hard work will reveal to us the truth hidden now …”.
Comet.
The greatest contribution to the study of comets was made by Edmund Halley. The main discovery of that time was the determination of the periodicity of the appearance of the same comet. He became interested in the parameters of comets in 1680 and 1682 and began calculating their orbits according to astronomical observations. The young astronomer shared his observations with Isaac Newton, who at that time had his own calculations. And together they came to the conclusion that the comet's orbit is a highly elongated ellipse and it must return to Earth. Having collected data on 24 comets, Halley created the first catalog of cometary orbits. In his catalog, he found that three comets, according to their data, have striking similarities with each other, which led him to the conclusion that these are not three comets at all, but one, which has a frequency of appearance of about 75.5 years. Subsequently, it was this comet that received its name Halley's comet.
Flight of a comet.
Halley's comet was last observed in 1985-1986. Twice in her life, the writer L. N. Tolstoy (1828-1910). The first time was at the age of seven, and the second, oddly enough, the comet appeared in the year of the writer's death. The comet he saw in 1835 made a strong impression, which he reflected in the description of the bright comet of 1811 in his work "War and Peace". Another interesting fact is associated with the American writer M. Twain, who was born in the same 1835 (that year the end of the world was predicted), a week after Halley's comet passed through perihelion. They say that the writer, having learned about this fact, joked: "I was born with the comet, and I will leave with it." On April 20, 1910, Halley's comet again passed perihelion with the Sun, and the next day Mark Twain died.
A comet in 1843.
At all times, astrologers have tried to unravel the phenomena of heaven, and in this sense, comets were one of the most mysterious and unpredictable signs of space. It was the unpredictability, the unexpectedness of their appearance that aroused increased interest. After all, it was impossible to calculate the options for the consequences of their appearance, which intensified panic and horror from the appearance of the “heavenly wanderers”. There are endless descriptions of comets that bring disasters and catastrophes to the inhabitants of planet Earth. It is believed that some of the "prophecies" are being realized in our time.
Donati's comet, 1858.
The ability of a reasonable person to consider the meaning of what is happening allows some to conclude that the onset of such times is already close. The modern science of studying comets, over the years of research and hard work of our ancestors, has advanced far ahead. The study of comets using modern equipment allows scientists to obtain more and more valuable information about space distances. We do not consider comets as alien wanderers, they do not instill in us horror and panic, but nevertheless, when they appear, many feel a sense of fear. And this is absolutely normal, because sitting at home at the computer monitors we get a lot of conflicting information, among which it is very difficult to find the truth, and sometimes even impossible. In this regard, the comets of our 21st century are very interesting.
The comet of 1861.
Comet Eason (C 2012 / S1), was discovered in September 2012 by amateur astronomers Vitaly Nevsky and Artem Novichonok. Scientists are expecting a heavenly show from the comet, which it can give everyone, without exception, at the end of this year. To do this, she needs to go through perihelion with the Sun on November 28, 2013. While the material was being prepared for publication, the news about comet Eason appeared, probably at a faster rate than it is moving towards the Sun They wrote that the comet disintegrated, exploded, changed its trajectory, wrote also that it might not be a comet, but a planet or a star system, and a lot of other interesting things.
Star of the Mages.
In any case, it won't be long to wait. Comet Eason, charged with the energy of our star on New Year's Eve, should illuminate the firmament with a bright light that will eclipse the Moon. This fact gave rise to many rumors about the imminent apocalypse, which are associated with various prophecies and predictions. Indeed, with a fortunate coincidence of circumstances, Eason will rise as a second Sun, thereby marking the end of the world. The imminent death of the incumbent Pope Benedict XVI is predicted this year, also linking it with the appearance of Eason and as a sign of the apocalypse.
How medieval people imagined comets.
At the moment, it is believed that astrophysical and mathematical sciences have advanced far ahead compared to ancient times. There is an opinion that since modern science does not see danger in the appearance of such objects in our firmament, then it allegedly does not exist. But let's not forget that “observation” is one of the ways to study a phenomenon, and in terms of time frames, our ancestors have clear advantages over modern scientists.
A comet at the time of the dinosaurs.
Based on ancient sources, traditions and religions, supported by modern scientific knowledge, we can conclude that comets are fragments of the primordial world, which are sometimes sent to us as a sign of God, the will of the Almighty, indicating that soon changes may occur in the world …
Well, "Prei monituse, prei minituse", which translated from Latin means: "He who is forewarned is armed."