What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to establish that the seven stars on Folio 68r refer to Ursa Minor rather than the Pleiades.

January 22, 2026Open Access

The Celestial Engine Deciphered: Ursa Minor, Boötes, and the Seven Stars of Voynich Folio 68r

Key Points

The aim is to establish that the seven stars on Folio 68r refer to Ursa Minor rather than the Pleiades.
Analyzed Folio 68r of the Voynich Manuscript for star clusters.
Examined historical and astronomical contexts.
Utilized deciphered Latin labels from a Triadic Cipher System.
Identified Bacar as a vessel related to Ursa Minor.
Demonstrated that circumpolar motion aligns with Ursa Minor visibility.
Revealed Boötes’ role as a mythological figure associated with Ursa Minor.

Abstract

This paper argues that the seven-star cluster depicted on Folio 68r of the Voynich Manuscript (Beinecke MS 408) represents Ursa Minor, not the Pleiades, based on a convergence of astronomical behavior, medieval iconography, and deciphered Latin labels produced through a Triadic Cipher System proposed by Delgado. The identification is supported by the explicit appearance of Bacar (ladle/vessel), the description of circumpolar motion, and the presence of Boötes as the mythological driver of the Bears. No assumptions about the correctness of the full cipher system are required to evaluate the astronomical correlations presented here.

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