<P> If, as has been suggested, the reference in the Talmud to "a star which appears once in seventy years that makes the captains of the ships err" (see above) refers to Halley's Comet, it may be a reference to the 66 AD appearance, because this passage is attributed to the Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah . This apparition was the only one to occur during ben Hananiah's lifetime . </P> <P> The 141 AD apparition was recorded in Chinese chronicles . It was also recorded in the Tamil work Purananuru, in connection with the death of the south Indian Chera king Yanaikatchai Mantaran Cheral Irumporai . </P> <P> The 374 AD and 607 approaches each came within 0.09 AU of Earth . The 684 AD apparition was recorded in Europe in one of the sources used by the compiler of the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicles; it is the oldest known picture of a comet . Chinese records also report it as the "broom star". </P> <P> In 837, Halley's Comet may have passed as close as 0.03 AU (3.2 million miles; 5.1 million kilometers) from Earth, by far its closest approach . Its tail may have stretched 60 degrees across the sky . It was recorded by astronomers in China, Japan, Germany, the Byzantine Empire, and the Middle East . In 912, Halley is recorded in the Annals of Ulster, which state "A dark and rainy year . A comet appeared ." </P>

What is the next major comet visible from earth