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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1–4Cite as

Comet Halley

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Definition

Known since antiquity, comet Halley is probably the most famous comet in the world. With its 76-year period, it is the only bright comet whose trajectory is predictable enough for space exploration to be planned in advance. It is also the comet which allowed the astronomer Edmund Halley to demonstrate the nature and the periodic appearance of these objects: in 1705, on the basis of previous observations, he predicted the comet’s return in 1758. The comet’s apparition was actually observed in December 1758, 16 years after Halley’s death. The apparition of comet Halley was decisive in confirming Newton’s laws of universal gravitation.

Overview

Early apparitions of comet Halley go back to antiquity. Its 1066 CE apparition was recorded in the Bayeux tapestry showing King Harold’s fear shortly before the Hasting battle and the victory of William the Conqueror. In 1301, the famous Italian painter Giotto di Bondone represented the comet as the Bethlehem star in his fresco...

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References and Further Reading

  • Crovisier J (2001) Comet Hale-Bopp. In: Encyclopedia of astronomy and astrophysics. Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol, pp 414–416

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  • Newburn RL, Rahe J, Neugebauer M (1999) Comets in the post-Halley era. Kluwer, Dordrecht

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LESIA – Bâtiment ISO (n°17), Observatoire de Paris – Section de Meudon, 5, Place Jules Janssen, 92195, Meudon, France

    Therese Encrenaz

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  1. Therese Encrenaz
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Correspondence to Therese Encrenaz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Encrenaz, T. (2014). Comet Halley. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_327-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_327-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Comet Halley
    Published:
    09 February 2023

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_327-4

  2. Original

    Comet Halley
    Published:
    07 May 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_327-3

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