Credit: ©The Royal Society
    Image number: RS.15512

    'Heleo-comets' and 'seleno-comets'

    Date
    8/18 December 1689
    Creator
    Unknown, Artist
    Object type
    Archive reference number
    Manuscript page number
    p1
    Material
    Dimensions
    height (page): 312mm
    width (page): 192mm
    Subject
    Content object
    space
       > Solar system
          > Sun
    space
       > Solar system
          > Moon
    space
    Description
    These sketches show celestial apparitions observed on 18 December 1689 [N.S.] in Altdorf by Johann Christoph Sturm (1635-1703). They show the sun and the moon emitting tails like a comet, which were perpendicular to the horizon. This account was read at the meeting of the Royal Society on 2 April 1690.
    Object history
    2 April 1690, 'There was an account of an odd appearance of the Sun and Moone emitting long tayles perpendicular to the Horizon, on the 8th of December last, at Altorff near to Nurnberg; proceeding from some particular Constitution of the Air, which lasted all night, the Sun arising the next morning with a like Tayle; observed by Mr Sturmius' (JBO/8/298).
    Associated place
    <The World>
       > Europe
          > Germany
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