Halley’s Comet

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Halley's Comet, 1910

Comet Halley nucleus

Comet Halley photographed on March 8 and 9, 1986, by the one-metre Schmidt telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile.

Comet Halley, photographed on March 9, 1986, by the 1-metre (40-inch) Schmidt telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile.

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Halley’s Comet summary

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Halley’s Comet: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 09, 2025

News •

Watch a Meteor Shower Made by Halley’s Comet • May 6, 2025, 2:44 AM ET (New York Times)

How to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley's comet • May 2, 2025, 2:18 PM ET (AP)

Photos

Halley's Comet, 1910

Comet Halley nucleus

Comet Halley photographed on March 8 and 9, 1986, by the one-metre Schmidt telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile.

Comet Halley, photographed on March 9, 1986, by the 1-metre (40-inch) Schmidt telescope of the European Southern Observatory at La Silla, Chile.

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Topics

Comet Hale-Bopp Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 Comet Hyakutake Encke’s Comet Comet Ikeya-Seki Biela’s Comet Comet Arend-Roland Comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 Comet Morehouse Chiron

Quiz

Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.

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