The 1866 Leonids meteor shower
observed at Corfu, Creece

The 1866 Leonids meteor shower was recorded in a scrap piece of paper by a priest in the island of Corfu in Northwestern Greece.
The priest was amazed by the phenomenon.
A century and a half later the piece of paper was found, as a page marker in a Bible at a flee market in Athens.
A full account of the story has been published (in Greek) in the Journal of the Astronomical Society of Corfu "OURANIA" 3, 2 (December 1999). Please note that the date below refers to the Julian calendar. Greece joined the Gregorian calendar in February 1923, when the date was advanced by 13 days.

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The translation of the document:

"During the night of November 1/2, 1866, at 3 a.m., while the sky was clear and cloudless, the stars started fighting, falling against each other, leaving a trail behind them like a rope, in the direction from East to West, continuously until six o'clock at dawn, when the phenomenon ended. No one knows the cause of the phenomenon except the Creator, to whom we owe infinite glory. Amen."

Priest Ioannis Savanis

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Last update: Fri Nov 16 16:27:22 EET 2001