Astronomy & Cosmology
Periodicity of comets
6th-10th c. CEVarahamihira; Bhadrabahu; BhattotpalaBrihat Samhita and later commentariesPan-Indian / unspecified
501 CE
Held that comets are periodic apparitions that return over time; later astronomers listed comet periods.
- Dated
- 501 CE–1000
- As scholars put it
- 6th-10th c. CE
- Originator
- Varahamihira; Bhadrabahu; Bhattotpala
- Source text
- Brihat Samhita and later commentaries
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Astronomy & Cosmology
- Evidence
- Documented
- Confidence
- Medium
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
European recognition of periodic comets came with Halley (18th c.).
Fair to say
How the ancient periods were calculated, and their accuracy, is unknown.
Path to modern innovation
Comet periodicity is confirmed modern astronomy.
Transmission
Independent tradition.
References
- 1Brihat Samhita
- 2standard histories of astronomy
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-091 on GitHub.