Was the Flying Monk Really Seeing Halley’s Comet—or a Different One?
Ars Technica revisits the legend of Eilmer of Malmesbury, the 11th‑century monk who built wings and flew circa 600 feet, by examining whether his famous 1066 sighting of a comet was Halley’s or possibly the 1018 apparition. University of Leicester historian James Aitcheson argues that if Eilmer’s birth year is earlier (around 984) or later (early 1010s), he might have witnessed a different comet, which would challenge the idea that he understood Halley’s periodicity centuries before Edmund Halley. The dating rests on William of Malmesbury’s 12th‑century account, which offers no precise dates, leaving open the possibility that the tale of “Eilmer’s Comet” may refer to a different celestial visitor and complicates medieval skywatching lore.
