The Spring and Autumn Annals records 37 solar eclipses, 3 lunar eclipses, and meteorite falls. The entry for Duke Wen 14 (613 BC), "In autumn, the seventh month, a comet entered the Big Dipper," is the world's earliest definite record of Halley's Comet. The entry for Duke Xi 16 (645 BC), "Five meteorites fell at Song," records the number of meteorite falls.
Account
The Spring and Autumn Annals records 37 solar eclipses, 3 lunar eclipses, and meteorite falls. The entry for Duke Wen 14 (613 BC), "In autumn, the seventh month, a comet entered the Big Dipper," is the world's earliest definite record of Halley's Comet. The entry for Duke Xi 16 (645 BC), "Five meteorites fell at Song," records the number of meteorite falls.
Sources
- Zuo Zhuan
- modern comet orbit and meteorite studies