We present this fascinating story in anticipation of the arrival of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) in October 2024.

A Cave in Puerto Rico Holds a Celestial Story

A team of researchers from the UPR Arecibo has unveiled a fascinating piece of the past in a hidden cave in southern Puerto Rico. And no, this is not just any legend! We're talking about artwork dating back to 1910, when Halley's Comet passed near Earth, causing not only amazement but also panic worldwide.

A drawing of Halley's Comet over a tomb has been discovered inside this cave. That's right! This artwork was created by a young man named Fernando Colón Vázquez, who, like many during that time, was both fascinated (and perhaps a little terrified) by the comet's passage. Through interdisciplinary research methods, the scientists were able not only to identify the artist but also to understand the historical and social context in which Fernando lived.

Imagine living in 1910, when newspapers talked about poisonous gases in the tail of Halley's Comet. People thought humanity might go extinct! Puerto Rico was no exception. At that time, the island was a sea of emotions, and many, like Fernando, sought refuge in remote places, such as this cave. The comet, visible to the naked eye in April and May 1910, lit up the sky with an impressive spectacle and sowed fear.

The documentation of this artwork is significant not only from a historical perspective but also scientifically. Thanks to modern techniques such as lidar scanning, researchers have also studied the cave in three dimensions, revealing fascinating details about the place and its relationship to the cosmic event. It's as if Fernando left us a coded message about what happened more than a century ago!

For the experts, this cave is a window to the past. It allows us to understand how an astronomical phenomenon could profoundly influence the lives of people from that era. Despite being hidden in a cave, Fernando's artwork has come to light to remind us that, although we fear the unknown, we always find creative ways to process our fears.

This finding is only the beginning of what promises to be an exciting investigation. What else will this cave reveal? Only time will tell! But one thing is certain: the next time we see a comet in the sky, we won't just admire it, but we will also think of Fernando and his artistic legacy, hidden in a cave in Puerto Rico.

Notes

• The scientific study contains more details about this research, including photos from the cave. It is available in ArXiv and was submitted to the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.

• We have withheld the town's name and the cave’s location to preserve its condition.

• Fernando Colón Vázquez passed away in 1950 at the age of 54. He had several children, two of whom may still be alive, now around 80 years old. It is possible that his descendants could provide us with more details about Fernando’s life and the time he took refuge in the cave.

• This article contains more information about cave studies from UPR Arecibo: 'New Dating of Cave Art Reveals History of Puerto Rican People' (GSA Release No. 23-40, 17 October 2023).

• This study is part of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory (PHL) and the Karst and Cave Research and Education Group (KCREG) efforts to preserve and study the island's rich cultural and natural heritage. Both projects are initiatives of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo.

• For more information, you can contact Professor Ángel Acosta-Colón at angel.acosta@upr.edu.

• Spanish article.