Document: Halley's Comet

Question: when is halley's comet coming around again
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when was the last time halleys comet came
Short answer: 1986 apparition
Answer: Halley 's 1986 apparition was the least favourable on record. The comet and Earth were on opposite sides of the Sun in February 1986, creating the worst viewing circumstances for Earth observers for the last 2,000 years. Halley 's closest approach was 0.42 AU. Additionally, with increased light pollution from urbanization, many people failed to even see the comet. It was possible to observe it in areas outside of cities with the help of binoculars. Further, the comet appeared brightest when it was almost invisible from the northern hemisphere in March and April. Halley 's approach was first detected by astronomers David Jewitt and G. Edward Danielson on 16 October 1982 using the 5.1 m Hale telescope at Mount Palomar and a CCD camera. The first person to visually observe the comet on its 1986 return was amateur astronomer Stephen James O'Meara on 24 January 1985. O'Meara used a home - built 24 - inch telescope on top of Mauna Kea to detect the magnitude 19.6 comet. On 8 November 1985, Stephen Edberg ( then serving as the Coordinator for Amateur Observations at NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory ) and Charles Morris were the first to observe Halley 's Comet with the naked eye in its 1986 apparition.

Question: when is the next halley's comet coming
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: what is the furthest distance that halleys comet travels from the sun
Short answer: 35 AU (
Answer: Halley 's orbital period has varied between 74 -- 79 years since 240 BC. Its orbit around the Sun is highly elliptical, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.967 ( with 0 being a circle and 1 being a parabolic trajectory ). The perihelion, the point in the comet 's orbit when it is nearest the Sun, is just 0.6 AU. This is between the orbits of Mercury and Venus. Its aphelion, or farthest distance from the Sun, is 35 AU ( roughly the distance of Pluto ). Unusual for an object in the Solar System, Halley 's orbit is retrograde; it orbits the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets, or, clockwise from above the Sun 's north pole. The orbit is inclined by 18 ° to the ecliptic, with much of it lying south of the ecliptic. ( Because it is retrograde, the true inclination is 162 ° ). Due to the retrograde orbit, it has one of the highest velocities relative to the Earth of any object in the Solar System. The 1910 passage was at a relative velocity of 70.56 km / s ( 157,838 mph or 254,016 km / h ). Because its orbit comes close to Earth 's in two places, Halley is associated with two meteor showers: the Eta Aquariids in early May, and the Orionids in late October. Halley is the parent body to the Orionids. Observations conducted around the time of Halley 's appearance in 1986 suggested that the comet could additionally perturb the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, although it might not be the parent of that shower. Orionid

Question: when is halley's comet predicted to be near earth
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when is the next time halley's comet comes around
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when does halley's comet come back around
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when was the last time halley's comet was around
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when was the last time halley's comet passed earth
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when will halley's comet be seen next
Short answer: mid-2061.
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when was the last time halley's comet was seen from earth
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: who was born when halley's comet was in the sky
Short answer: American satirist and writer Mark Twain was
Answer: American satirist and writer Mark Twain was born on 30 November 1835, exactly two weeks after the comet 's perihelion. In his autobiography, published in 1909, he said,

Question: when was the last time halleys comet was seen
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: halley's comet distance from the sun in au
Answer: 1P / Halley ( Halley 's Comet ) Halley 's Comet on 8 March 1986 Discovery Discovered by Prehistoric observation; Edmond Halley ( recognition of periodicity ) Orbital characteristics Epoch 17 February 1994 ( 2449400.5 ) Aphelion 35.082 AU Perihelion 0.586 AU last perihelion: 9 February 1986 next perihelion: 28 July 2061 Semi-major axis 17.834 AU Eccentricity 0.96714 Orbital period 75.32 yr Mean anomaly 38.38 ° Inclination 162.26 ° Longitude of ascending node 58.42 ° Argument of perihelion 111.33 ° Earth MOID 0.0638 AU ( 9.54 million km ) Physical characteristics 15 × 8 km, 11 km ( mean diameter ) Mass 2.2 × 10 kg Mean density 0.6 ( estimates range from 0.2 to 1.5 g / cm ) Escape velocity ~ 0.002 km / s Sidereal rotation period 2.2 d ( 52.8 h ) (? ) Albedo 0.04 Apparent magnitude 28.2 ( in 2003 )

Question: when was the last time halley's comet came by
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: what is the path of halley's comet
Answer: Halley 's orbital period has varied between 74 -- 79 years since 240 BC. Its orbit around the Sun is highly elliptical, with an orbital eccentricity of 0.967 ( with 0 being a circle and 1 being a parabolic trajectory ). The perihelion, the point in the comet 's orbit when it is nearest the Sun, is just 0.6 AU. This is between the orbits of Mercury and Venus. Its aphelion, or farthest distance from the Sun, is 35 AU ( roughly the distance of Pluto ). Unusual for an object in the Solar System, Halley 's orbit is retrograde; it orbits the Sun in the opposite direction to the planets, or, clockwise from above the Sun 's north pole. The orbit is inclined by 18 ° to the ecliptic, with much of it lying south of the ecliptic. ( Because it is retrograde, the true inclination is 162 °. ) Due to the retrograde orbit, it has one of the highest velocities relative to the Earth of any object in the Solar System. The 1910 passage was at a relative velocity of 70.56 km / s ( 157,838 mph or 254,016 km / h ). Because its orbit comes close to Earth 's in two places, Halley is associated with two meteor showers: the Eta Aquariids in early May, and the Orionids in late October. Halley is the parent body to the Orionids. Observations conducted around the time of Halley 's appearance in 1986 suggested that the comet could additionally perturb the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, although it might not be the parent of that shower. Orionid

Question: when was the last time halley's comet was seen
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.

Question: when was the last halley's comet seen
Short answer: 1986 and
Answer: Halley 's Comet or Comet Halley, officially designated 1P / Halley, is a short - period comet visible from Earth every 74 -- 79 years. Halley is the only known short - period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. Halley last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061.