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The 32nd segment of the Bayeux tapestry is believed to depict Halley’s Comet.
BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Magnificent tapestries created around 1,000 years ago and which used to adorn the walls of Medieval castles might help modern-day astronomers determine if the still-theoretical Planet Nine actually exists somewhere near our solar system.
Some such Medieval tapestries depict comets in the skies over scenes of knights, kings, armies, and life in the Middle Ages, in general. One such famous example is the Bayeux Tapestry, completed in 1077 A.D. This celebrates the exploits of William the Conqueror. The tapestry is believed to feature Halley’s Comet in an upper border of its cloth.
Weaving Together Medieval Tapestries and Scrolls with Modern Research
Astronomers can use orbital mechanics to plot the precise position of known comets. As such, they can tell where these were located at any time in history. Then, such information can be compared to present-day data. Furthermore, Medieval tapestries were almost always carefully dated by their creators.
The positions of the comets depicted in Medieval tapestries and old scrolls are being compared to all available computer models for the so-called Planet Nine.
If such a planet does, indeed, exist, these old sources could reveal new information. Namely, the gravitational perturbations in the orbits of Medieval comets may be detectable. This could point to the existence of the mysterious planet.
Planet Nine must not be confused with Pluto. Of course, the 9th planet in our solar system used to be Pluto. However, this was demoted to dwarf planet status in 2006 by the International Astronomical Union.
The possibility of this new 9th planet was proposed back in 2014. Its theoretical existence is largely based on observations of planetoids, ice balls, and comets in the Oort Cloud. This is a collection of objects which surround our Sun at extreme distances.
Gravitation influences observed in Oort Cloud objects suggest the existence of a yet-to-be-discovered planet somewhere in our solar neighborhood. This would have to have an orbit around the Sun some 20 times farther than that of Neptune. It would also have a mass some 10 times that of our planet.
Both astronomers and historians acknowledge the astute observation skills of Middle Age Anglo-Saxon scholars. Their observations can be traced and studied throughout a variety of old scrolls. The data they collected about comets centuries ago might prove to be useful even in our days.
Image Source: Wikimedia
