<s>[INST] Why does the diophantine equation $x^2+x+1=7^y$ have no integer solutions? This following Problem is from Pell equation chapters exercise

Let $y>3$ positive integer numbers, show that following diophantine equation
  $$x^2+x+1=7^y\tag{1}$$ has no integer solutions.

I tried write the equation
$$(2x+1)^2+3=4\cdot 7^y$$
if $y=2k$ then we have
$$(2\cdot 7^k+2x+1)(2\cdot 7^k-2x-1)=3$$
this case has no integer.
But $y$ is odd number, How to prove equation  (1)  has no  integer solutions for $x,y (y>3)$? Any help would be appreciated.
 [/INST] A sketch of my thoughts:
Let $\nu_7(n)=\max\{m\in\mathbb{N}:7^m\mid n\}$. A good idea may be to prove that if $\nu_7(x^2+x+1)=\nu_7(x^3-1)-\nu_7(x-1)=y>3$ then $x$ has to be large, say $x\geq 7^{y-1}$. In such a case, however, $x^2+x+1$ is too big to be just $7^y$ and it must have some other prime factor.
By this way, the problem boils down to finding (or, at least, lower-bounding) the two elements of order three in $G=\left(\mathbb{Z}_{/(7^y\mathbb{Z})}\right)^*$, that is a cyclic group with $o(G)=6\cdot 7^{y-1}$.
If $y=1$, that elements are $2$ and $4$. If $y=2$, that elements are $18$ and $30$. If $y=3$, that elements are $18$ and $18^2$. In general, we may compute such elements by solving $z^2+3\equiv 0\pmod{7^y}$. If $y=4$, such elements are $1047$ and $1353$. If $y=5$, such elements are $1353$ and $15453$.
We just need to find a pattern, or an alternative reason for which $4\cdot 7^y-3$ cannot be a square for $y>3$. Obviously if $y$ is even $4\cdot 7^y-3$ is too close to a square to be a square itself, so we may assume that $y$ is odd.
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