A Han-period silk manuscript found at Mawangdui in 1973 contains the first definitive Chinese comet atlas. Its 29 entries pair drawings of comet forms with astrological omens. Chinese called comets hui xing—“broom stars”—and likened some forms to long-tailed pheasants. The atlas is a typology, not a record of hundreds of individual appearances. 🔭📜
Han Dynasty Mawangdui atlas catalogues 29 comet forms
Key facts
- The Han-period silk manuscript found at Mawangdui in 1973 is described as the first definitive Chinese comet atlas.
- The atlas depicts 29 comet forms with astrological interpretations; it is not a catalogue of hundreds of individual appearances, paths and disappearances.
- Hui xing literally means "broom star" in Chinese; some ancient descriptions compared particular comet forms to long-tailed pheasants.
- Different comet forms were associated with different omens, including prospective disasters.
Sources
Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Observed from Mars by China's ...astrobiology.com
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Comet 3I/ATLAS - NASA Sciencescience.nasa.gov
NASA missions are working together to track and study this rare, interstellar comet as it passes through our solar system. was 277 million miles from Earth.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Has Cold, Ancient Originsskyandtelescope.org
Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025. The Gemini South telescope in Chile captured this image of the comet on August 27, 2025.
Webb finds clues to ancient, distant origin of Comet 3I/ATLASesawebb.org
The research team estimates that 3I/ATLAS could have formed as long as 10 to 12 billion years ago, during the Universe's “cosmic noon,” when ...
ESA tracks rare interstellar comet - European Space Agencyesa.int
Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a rare celestial visitor: a comet from beyond our Solar System. Officially named 3I/ATLAS.
Divination by Astrological and Meteorological Phenomenaen.wikipedia.org
is an ancient astronomy silk manuscript ・ found in the Mawangdui of Changsha, Hunan, China in 1973. It lists 29 comets ・ the first definitive atlas of comets.
Ancient Comet Atlas Reveals Patterns Echoing The ...usaherald.com
Mawangdui Silk atlas is considered the oldest structured record of comet morphology — 29 distinct comet classes systematically cataloged around ...
ALMA Reveals Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Formed in a ...almaobservatory.org
The discovery reveals that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains at least 30 times the proportion of semi-heavy water found in comets from ...
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