Did a medieval flying monk spot Halley's comet, twice? It's complicated

“it is long since I saw you” Did a medieval flying monk spot Halley’s comet, twice? It’s complicated University of Leicester historian thinks Eilmer of Malmesbury saw two different comets: in 1018 and 1066 Jennifer Ouellette – Jun 14, 2026 12:02 pm | 8 Stained glass window at Malmesbury Abbey depicting the medieval "flying monk," Eilmer Credit: Andrew Dunn/CC BY-SA 2.0 Stained glass window at Malmesbury Abbey depicting the medieval "flying monk," Eilmer Credit: Andrew Dunn/CC BY-SA 2.0 Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav Early in the 11th century, a young Benedictine monk named Eilmer jumped from the 150-foot tower of his abbey in the small English town of Malmesbury, wearing a pair of…

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