The ancient Maya were good astronomers who could record and interpret every aspect of the sky. They watched various celestial bodies and were more skilled astronomers than many previously thought.
Not long ago, researchers suggested that the Maya may have linked the timings of events such as royal accessions and wars to astronomical predictions of meteor showers.
There is now more evidence showing that the ancient Maya purposefully timed significant occasions to coincide with portentous celestial events.
Using state-of-the-art computer models, an amateur historian and a professional astronomer have found evidence that many important societal events recorded in Mayan hieroglyphic inscriptions may coincide with outbursts of meteor showers related to Halley’s Comet.
In a newly published study, the two-person research team has found more than a dozen instances of hieroglyphic records from the Mayan Classic Period (250–909 CE) indicating that important events occurred within just a few days of an outburst of Eta Aquariid meteor showers, one of the celestial displays tied to the comet.
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