Explanation:
The ancient text has no known title, no known author,
and is written in no known language:
what does it say and why does it have many astronomy illustrations?
The mysterious book was once bought by an
emperor, forgotten on a library shelf,
sold for thousands of dollars, and later donated to
Yale.
Possibly written in the 15th century,
the over 200-page volume is known most recently as the
Voynich Manuscript, after its (re-)discoverer in 1912.
Pictured above is an illustration from
the book
that appears to be somehow related to the Sun.
The book
labels some patches of the sky with unfamiliar constellations.
The inability of modern historians
of astronomy to understand the origins of these constellations is perhaps dwarfed by the inability of
modern code-breakers to understand
the book's text.
Can the eclectic brain trust of
APOD readers make any progress?
If you think you can provide any insight, instead of
sending us email please
participate in a fresh
online discussion.
The book itself remains in
Yale's rare book collection under catalog number "MS 408."
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