Halley's Comet: Facts About the Most Famous Comet

Jump to:Halley's historyDiscoveryCopycat cometsSending spacecraftAdditional resourcesHalley's Comet is arguably the most famous comet in history.As a "periodic" comet, it returns to Earth's vicinity about every 75 years, making it possible for a person to see it twice in their lifetime. It was last here in 1986, and it is projected to return in 2061.The comet, officially called 1P/Halley, is named after English astronomer Edmond Halley, who examined reports of a comet approaching Earth in 1531, 1607 and 1682. He concluded that these three comets were actually the same comet returning over and over again, and predicted that it would return in 1758. Halley's calculations showed that at least some comets orbit the sun.Halley didn't live to see the comet's correctly-predicted return, but the comet was given his name. (For those looking for help with pronunciation, the name traditionally rhymes with the word valley.)Photos: Halley's Comet Through HistoryScientists finally got an up-close lo...