Stargazing was also popular in the American colonies. In 1664, 1680, and 1682, three large comets appeared in the sky. Historically, comets have been seen as warning signs foreshadowing disaster. It is thought that the passing of these comets intrigued colonial American society, creating a large interest in stargazing. Several prominent figures in colonial society, like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, …show more content…
Four of these codices have survived, including the Dresden Codex, which contains almanacs relating to Maya daily life, astronomical data like cycles of Venus, Mars, and Mercury, and equinoxes and eclipses, worship calendars, and several prophecies. American colonists produced celestial almanacs similar to those of the Maya that contained solar and lunar phases, tide tables, astronomical phenomena, planting and harvesting times, and religious dates. The existence of these almanacs proves that American colonists had a great interest in astronomy and the movements of the celestial bodies, and that, like the Maya, American colonists were interested in recording and interpreting their