Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

that this comet was seen  during Nero's principate shining almost continuously and with a terrible glare. 

953

The phrase  shining almost continuously  probably means that this comet was seen during daytime as well as 

at night, since he adds that the comet's glare was terrible. Not enough information is given by Pliny to 

determine whether this comet was the first or second comet of Nero's reign. 

    In his play  Octavia, Seneca described a comet in the constellation Bootes. The events in this play 

surrounding this sighting are generally placed about the year 

A.D.

 62 (

A.D.

 47, revised). Bootes is located 

adjacent to the constellation Virgo, in the southern sky. There is no record of a comet sighting in 

A.D.

 47. 

However, the comet of 

A.D.

 46 was seen in the southern sky, and so fits the description of this comet. Thus, 

this comet could well be the comet of 

A.D.

 46. 

Vitellius' Comet 

     While he was behaving in this way, evil omens occurred. A comet was seen, and the moon, contrary to 

precedent, appeared to suffer two eclipses, being obscured on the fourth and on the seventh day. 

954

    Dio first explains that Vitellius behaved very badly after he became emperor. Then he describes a comet, 

followed by two lunar eclipses. Now it is quite impossible for two lunar eclipses to occur only three days apart, 

so we must conclude that a lunar eclipse occurred only on one of those days, either on the 4th or the 7th day, 

and not both. The 4th and 7th days must refer to the day of the month (not of the week), because the date of 

any lunar eclipse is calculated as a day of the month (the day of the week being irrelevant). 

    After describing these omens, Dio goes on to detail the beginnings of Vespasian's aspiration to become 

emperor. Vitellius held office for less than a year, and during the largest part of that time Vespasian sought to 

displace him as emperor. Vespasian fought against Vitellius to obtain the throne during the autumn and into 

the winter. Therefore, the comet and the lunar eclipse occurred in the summertime, after Vitellius had become 

emperor and had behaved badly, but before Vespasian fought against Vitellius during the fall of that year. 

    In 

A.D.

 54, a comet was observed and recorded by the ancient Chinese astronomers. This comet had a tail 

measuring about 5 degrees and was seen between June 9 and July 9 of that year.

955

 In the following month, on 

August 7, a lunar eclipse occurred, which was visible from Rome before and during sunrise. 

    There is no other year, in either the usual or my revised chronology, when a comet observation is followed 

by a lunar eclipse on either the 4th or 7th of the month. The usual year for the summer of Vitellius' reign is 

A.D.

 69. There is no record of a comet observation by the ancient astronomers for the years 

A.D.

 67 through 

70, inclusive.

956

 Two lunar eclipses visible from Rome did occur in 

A.D.

 69, one on April 25 and the other on 

Oct. 18. Neither of these eclipses fits Dio's description, since neither occurred on the 4th or 7th of the month. 

Thus the pairing of a comet with a lunar eclipse (on the 4th or the 7th of the month) is rare enough so as to 

establish 

A.D.

 54 as the only reasonable fit to Dio's description. 

Vespasian's Comet and Eclipses 

    Both Suetonius and Dio describe a comet that appeared before the death of Vespasian. The comet had a 

long, conspicuous tail and so was described as having long hair. The Roman people interpreted this as an 

omen that Vespasian would soon die. But Dio tells us:  To those who said anything to him about the comet he 

said: `This is an omen, not for me, but for the Parthian king; for he has long hair, whereas I am bald.'  

957

 Dio 

adds that the comet  was visible for a long time. 

958

 The identification of this comet is important in 

determining the year of Vespasian's death. 

    If Dio was correct in giving the length of Vespasian's reign as ten years, then the revised dates for his reign 

would be 

A.D.

 55 to 65. However, the long haired comet observed by Chinese astronomers in 

A.D.

 65 was first 

sighted near the end of July, whereas Vespasian died in June.

959

 There was no comet observed in the earlier 

months of 

A.D.

 65, and the comet of 

A.D.

 64 did not have a long tail (and may have been a nova rather than a 

comet). 

    Furthermore, there is no mention of a comet foreshadowing the death of the emperor Titus, who died only a 

little more than 2 years after Vespasian. If Vespasian died in 

A.D.

 65, then Titus' death would be placed in 

A.D.

 67. There were two conspicuous comets in 

A.D.

 65 to 66:  a long tailed comet seen from July to Sept. of 

A.D.

 65, and Halley's comet (also with a noticeable tail), seen from Jan. to April of 

A.D.

 66.

960

 Neither of these 

206