f68v RIGHT

  
 

f68v, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. 

This is an extremely complicated page with two obvious main markers and at least four other possible markers.  I suggest this shows the transit of Mercury at inferior conjunction with the sun on 21st April 1054 AD, only a few days after the last recorded sighting of SN 1054.  The markers do lie in the same general area on the last day the supernova was officially sighted at the same time but the fit is slightly off and the say of the conjunction of the Sun and Mercury a few days later is a better fit.  Why this should be is unknown but it is a significant celestial event in the year, accompanied by a clustering of the Moon, Venus and Mercury at the same time.  In some respect, the image on f68v possibly marks the sky at the end of the supernova’s life.  The markers fit a North Pole star based Chinese style star map better than the horizon based European style star map in this instance, as the markers cross the North Pole star and both supernova on the Chinese style star map.  In this instance as some of the celestial objects are below the horizon they would be calculated rather than directly observed.

f85v, Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.  Overlay by P. Han showing folio main markers on red and other possible markers in blue.

 

Credit: Redshift6.  North Pole centred star map, 17/4/1056 AD, North China.  Overlay by P. Han comparing folio markers for f85v with actual star map.  The Sun, Saturn, Mercury and the Moon mass in Aries (Sun and Moon in conjunction - not eclipse).  Venus and Mars in Taurus. Credit: Redshift6.  North Pole centred star map, 21/4/1056 AD, North China. Overlay by P. Han comparing folio markers for f85v with actual star map.  Day of conjunction of Mercury with the sun in Aries.  Massing of Venus, Mars and the Moon (Moon passes through Taurus 18th-21st, past Mars and Venus on 20th-21st).

   

The Celestial Equator and Galactic Equator intersection point, and the Celestial Zero Meridian and Galactic Equator intersection point are highlighted on both days by the markers, along with SN 1572 marking the point of the Celestial Zero Meridian and Galactic Equator intersection point, both supernovae are highlighted by this area.

 

Assuming the position of SN 1054 is the most critical, on the 17th April 1056 AD one main marker crosses through the Sun, SN 1054, Saturn, Alhena and Procyon.  The other through the Sun and the Pleiades, passing near Venus and Alphard.  SN 1572 is slightly missed as is Polaris but the North Pole is crossed by the lesser markers.   On 22nd April 1056 AD more major celestial objects are crossed by the markers.  On the 21st April the Sun/Mercury conjunction one main marker crosses SN 1054, Alhera and Procyon, Passing near Saturn.  The other crosses Venus, the Moon, Alphard and passes near to the Pleiades.  The lesser markers through the Sun/Mercury conjunction also cross SN 1572 and Polaris.  The markers on the 17th April that appears to cross the North Pole, but nothing else, here crosses Algol and Arcturus.

 

On 21st April 1056 AD Mars is back in the same position in Taurus (right next to SN 1054) as it was when SN 1054 was possibly glimpsed for the first time at the total eclipse of May 1054 AD, at its first official mention on 4th July 1054 AD there are no planets at all in Taurus, just the Moon.  Mars and Venus may have been considered heralds of SN 1054, appearing at the future sight of SN 1054 in Taurus in May 1054 AD,and marking the sight of SN 1054 once again on its disappearance from the sky in April 1056 AD.

 

There is only one eye marker, but there are also two stars joined together that could logically represent a conjunction and I have used these together with the eye marker assuming that where they cross represents the conjunction.  Given this assumption and that the eye marker is marking SN 1054 then the cluster of Moon, Mars and Venus fits roughly within the star group in view of the eye marker.

 

f68v, cropped.  Voynich Manuscript. Credit: Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.  Overlay by P. Han showing eye marker and double star marker in relation to the Mercury-Sun conjunction, and the massing of Mars Venus and the Moon near to site of former SN 1054.

 

 

 

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Copyright © 2010 P. Han