New research suggests Halley’s Comet was identified by 11th-century monk

While Edmond Halley is credited as the first to determine that the comet that bears his name reappears cyclically, new research indicates that a medieval monk may have first noted the pattern.

The history of astronomy’s most famous comet may need to be revised. New research suggests that six centuries before astronomer Edmond Halley scientifically described in 1705 the periodic appearance of the comet that now bears his name, another person had already understood that it was the same celestial object observed at different times.

It cannot be said, strictly speaking, that Halley was the discoverer of this comet. The British scientist himself acknowledged that he had relied on previous historical records for his conclusions. In any case, he was the first to demonstrate, using the scientific method, that the appearances of 1531, 1607, and 1682 were of a single celestial body that returned periodically, approximately every 76 years.

That deduction marked a milestone in the history of science and contributed decisively to dispelling the view that comets were supernatural omens.

English monk who saw comet 600 years before Halley​

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