Was the Sallaumu
Halley’s comet?
A very helpful observation said the comet was:
"I cubit in front of Jupiter, 3 cubits
high toward the north"
On this map Jupiter is below centre. The arrow shows where
Jupiter moved across the sky during the 7 days after the 29th October 164 BCE, (the date
of the map).
The dotted box shows the area 3 cubits north and 1 cubit in
front of Jupiter during the 7 days after the 29th October, allowing for the
Babylonians’ errors in measurement.
They could only have recorded Halley’s Comet if it
was in that box.
The map also shows 3 possible positions for Halley’s Comet,
for different values of n, (dates of
perihelion). The arrows show a week’s movement, just as for Jupiter.
Halley’s Comet would have fitted in the box at some time in
that week if its perihelion dates had been approximately between the 18th and 26th
November, and confirms that it was Halley’s Comet which was recorded since bright
comets do not appear often enough for two to be in the same part of the sky at the same
time.
