SERÁ QUE O COMETA HALLEY TEM O NOME ERRADO?

SUBSCRIBE NOW TO MY NEW YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND MY NEW PODCAST!!! COME BEYOND SCIENCE!!!    / @alemdaciencia_sacani   In April 1066, a light ripped across the English sky with a brightness comparable to that of a full moon. The English who witnessed this spectacle had no way of knowing it, but they were looking at Halley's Comet, a cosmic visitor that would return every 76 years. This apparition, however, was immortalized in a way that no other passage of the comet managed: embroidered on linen, in a tapestry almost 70 meters long that is still on display in Bayeux, Normandy. But why does Halley's Comet appear in the Bayeux Tapestry? And what was this "hairy star" doing there, at that exact point in the narrative? The answer mixes astronomy, politics, and propaganda in a way that few medieval artifacts manage. The Succession Crisis That Changed England To understand the story, we need to go back to the end of 1065. Edward the Confessor, King of England, was dying without direct heirs. On his deathbed, in January 1066, he asked Harold Godwinson to protect the kingdom. But Harold didn't wait. The day after Edward's death, the Witan elected Harold as king, and he was crowned within hours. This astonishing speed is captured by the Bayeux Tapestry itself. And then, right after showing Harold enthroned, the tapestry does something extraordinary: the men witnessing the coronation seem to turn their bodies towards the next scene, pointing to the sky, where a star with a flaming tail dominates the fabric. The Latin inscription simply reads: "ISTI MIRANT STELLAM" – these men marvel at the star. The Chronological Problem That Reveals the Manipulation Here's the fascinating detail: there's a chronological problem that the tapestry's creators were perfectly aware of and chose to ignore. Harold was crowned on January 6, 1066. Halley's Comet, however, only appeared in the English skies at the end of April of that year, almost four months later. The tapestry, however, places the two events side by side, as if the comet had appeared at the exact moment the crown touched Harold's head. This is not a mistake. It's a deliberate narrative choice. Medieval Propaganda in Action The Bayeux Tapestry was probably created between 1072 and 1077, possibly in Canterbury, under the patronage of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. Researchers like Michael Lewis of the British Museum and astrophysicist Simon Portegies Zwart argue that the tapestry's creators deliberately juxtaposed the coronation and the comet for political reasons, with the benefit of hindsight. The idea was clear: the sky confirmed that Harold should not be on the throne. Each contemporary source that mentions the 1066 comet connects it to different events, depending on who is writing. William of Poitiers, writing a few years after the Norman invasion, is scathing about Harold: "The comet, terror of kings, which burned soon after your elevation, foretold your ruin." Other chroniclers connected the comet to the Norman landing in September, something astronomically impossible, since the comet was no longer visible at that time. The Final Message Halley's Comet knew nothing about Harold, about William, about England. It followed its chaotic orbit around the Sun, indifferent to human narratives. But we have never been able to look at a sky ablaze and simply record data. We need meaning. The Bayeux Tapestry shows us men pointing to the sky and marveling at a star that, for them, was not simply a ball of ice melting in the heat of the Sun. It was the future, written in fire, crossing the firmament. And the question remains: even knowing exactly what Halley's Comet is, even knowing that its next passage will be in 2061, are we so different from those men embroidered on the linen? Sources and References: • Lewis, M. & Portegies Zwart, S. (2025). "Dorestad and Everything After" • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle • William of Jumièges - Gesta Normannorum Ducum • William of Poitiers - Gesta Guillelmi • Bayeux Tapestry (Bayeux Museum, Normandy) 📌 If you enjoyed this video, don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to the channel! 🔔 Activate the bell so you don't miss the next videos about history, astronomy, and the mysteries of the past. #Halley'sComet #BayeuxTape #History #MiddleAges #1066 #Astronomy #WilliamTheConqueror #HaroldII #MedievalHistory #Science