イギリスの修道士が、エドモンド・ハレーがその発見で評価される約7世紀も前に、ハレー彗星が周期的に訪れる天体であると認識していたことを示す新しい研究が発表されました。マルムズベリーのエイルマーは、1066年に観測された彗星が、自身が989年に観測したものと同じ天体であると見抜いていたとされています。
12世紀の歴史家ウィリアム・オブ・マルムズベリーが残した記録によると、エセルメアとも呼ばれる修道士エイルマーは、この2回の出現の関連性を理解していました。ライデン大学のサイモン・ポルテギース・ズワルト教授と研究者のルイス氏は、中世の文献を再検証した結果、この結論に至りました。彼らの研究成果は、書籍『Dorestad and Everything After. Ports, townscapes & travelers in Europe, 800-1100』に掲載されています。
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NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope observed comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) shortly after it split into four fragments, thanks to a lucky scheduling change. The high-resolution images provide unprecedented detail on the event. Researchers noted an unexpected delay in the comet's brightening after the breakup.
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New research proposes that Dante Alighieri's 14th-century work Inferno contains an early description of a massive asteroid striking Earth. Timothy Burbery of Marshall University argues the poem depicts Satan as a cosmic impactor that reshapes the planet. The interpretation links literary elements to modern understanding of meteor impacts.
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks on the night of April 21-22. Up to 20 meteors per hour could be visible under dark skies. Best viewing is after midnight.
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Researchers from the National Museum and the University of Copenhagen have deciphered over 4,000-year-old clay tablets, uncovering magic spells, royal records, and everyday bureaucracy from ancient Middle Eastern civilizations. The texts include rare anti-witchcraft rituals protecting Assyrian kings and a regnal list hinting at the historical existence of King Gilgamesh. One tablet even records a simple receipt for beer.
A new computational analysis of Paleolithic artifacts reveals that humans over 40,000 years ago engraved structured symbols on tools and figurines, indicating early forms of information recording. These signs, found mainly in southwestern Germany, show complexity comparable to the earliest known writing systems that emerged millennia later. Researchers suggest these markings were purposeful, predating formal writing by tens of thousands of years.
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Astronomers are using advanced telescopes to catalog thousands more objects in the Kuiper Belt, a distant ring of ancient solar system debris beyond Neptune. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which began operating in 2025, will lead this effort, potentially revealing hidden planets and structures. Experts anticipate discoveries that could clarify the early solar system's history.