Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

very long tail.

917

 The ancient Chinese astronomers referred to this comet as a  broom star,  because of its 

conspicuous tail.

918

 Yet there is no mention of this very obvious comet during the time period that the usual 

chronology assigns to the reign of Gaius. This comet sighting does not fit the usual chronology, but does fit 

well in the revised chronology (see below). 

Claudius' Comet and Eclipse 

    According to Suetonius, the  main omens of Claudius' death included the rise of a long haired star, known 

as a comet . 

919

 Dio adds that this comet was  seen for a very long time . 

920

 Pliny the Elder lists four 

comets which were seen (during the reigns of various emperors)  in the western sky,  including the comet seen 

 about the time of the poisoning  of Claudius Caesar.

921

 Seneca gives a different description of this comet: 

 The Claudius comet rose from the north into the zenith and moved east, always growing dimmer. 

922

 Later, 

he reiterates that the comet was seen in the north, then rose straight up until it disappeared.

923

    According to the generally accepted chronology, Claudius died in Oct. of 

A.D.

 54. A comet sighting was 

recorded by the Chinese astronomers in 

A.D.

 54, sometime between the full moon of June 9 and that of July 

9.

924

 This comet was likely first seen in Gemini, but, because the sun was also in Gemini, its tail would not 

have been visible. The Romans would not have recognized this object as a comet, at this point in time, because 

the tail was not visible and the comet itself was difficult to see in the glare of the sun. However, the comet 

moved out of Gemini and became visible with its tail as it approached Ursa Minor. The location of Ursa 

Minor, as seen from Rome during that time period, was in the northern sky. When seen after sunset, Ursa 

Minor is also higher in the sky than Gemini. The Chinese astronomers described this comet as moving toward 

the northeast.

925

    The comet of 

A.D.

 54 fits Seneca's description of the Claudius comet fairly well, since it was seen in the 

northern sky and moved higher in the sky (from Gemini to Ursa Minor), and then moved eastward. However, 

it conflicts with Pliny's description of a comet in the western sky. The Romans would have been unlikely to 

recognize this object as a comet when it was first seen in Gemini (northwest sky), since the sun's glare would 

have kept the comet's tail from being seen. In fact, according to Kronk, the ancient Chinese astronomers 

themselves did not recognize this object as a comet when it was in Gemini (they mistook it for Mercury until it 

moved away from the sun and the tail became visible).

926

    In this revised chronology, Claudius died in Oct. of 

A.D.

 39. A comet sighting was recorded by the ancient 

Chinese astronomers in 

A.D.

 39, from March 13 to April 30. This comet had a conspicuous tail, with rays as 

long as 30 degrees.

927

 This very noticeable comet occurred about six months before the death of Claudius. This 

length of time is certainly close enough to the time of Claudius' death for the comet to have become associated 

with the later event. The comet was seen for about 49 days by the Chinese astronomers, a fairly lengthy 

observation period for a comet. Because this comet was  very noticeable, was seen for many days, and 

occurred not long before the death of Claudius, the Romans would certainly have associated this comet with 

the emperor's death. 

    The ancient Chinese astronomers first saw the comet of 

A.D.

 39 in the group of stars called the Pleiades.

928

As seen from Rome at that time, the Pleiades were in the western sky after sunset. This location fits the 

description given by Pliny for the Claudius comet (seen in the western sky). According to the ancient 

astronomers, the  comet then moved towards the northeast between the constellations Andromeda and 

Pegasus. This location would have been visible before dawn in the eastern sky. These constellations, and the 

comet, would then appear to rise higher in the sky as the hours passed and to dim as the sun began to rise. 

Also, when seen in the east about dawn, Andromeda and Pegasus are higher in the sky than the Pleiades, and 

the Pleiades are slightly further north.

929

 This location fits Seneca's description that the comet rose in the sky 

and grew dimmer, and that it moved eastward, but it conflicts with Seneca's statement that the comet was first 

seen in the north. 

    The details we have about the location of Claudius' comet fit both the description of the 

A.D.

 39 and the 

A.D.

 54 comet to a certain extent. However, there is a conflict between the locations of Claudius' comet given 

by Pliny and Seneca. Pliny places the comet in the west, but Seneca places it first in the north, then moving 

towards the east. It is therefore unlikely that any comet could accurately and completely fit both Pliny and 

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