Astronomical events are magnificent in their own right, magical, such as Supermoons, Eclipses, and also the passage of comets, such as Halley's Comet, which for many can be considered the event of the century. This is because the comet's passage in proximity to the Earth that allows its visualization occurs every 74–79 years, and it can happen twice in the same century, but it is not very frequent.
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Origin of the name Halley
The comet's name comes in honor of the English astronomer Edmond Halley, which is largely responsible for determining its periodicity. The discovery took place in the year 1705, where its orbital period is found to be approximately 75.3 years! Halley's Comet also known by another name 1P/Haley It was discovered in the year 1696.
The discovery of the Comet's periodicity is a great milestone, because until then there are several records of Halley's passage in human history. But it was not suspected that it was the same object, it is from Edmond's discovery that it was possible to link the facts and understand the importance and presence of this comet in our society.
Size and Appearance
Although he is seen “small” from Earth, he is not small at all! Its dimensions are 15 kilometers wide and 8 kilometers high and its mass is 2.2×1014 kg (2 230.8 Kilograms), relatively "light" compared to other celestial objects.
The great spectacle of the comet is given by its tail or hair, which, like all comets, as soon as they approach the Sun, the solar winds cause some of the materials of their composition to form a tail. In the case of Halley, it spans about 10,000 kilometers across. The color of the syrup comes from the composition of the materials with the contrast of sunlight, which in this case has the color white!
The appearances of Halley's Comet
Halley's first observation reports from 240 BC With record in some Chinese and Babylonian writings. Since then, 30 appearances of the comet have been recorded throughout history. Being the last recorded appearance in the twentieth century on February 9, 1986 (34 years ago). The estimate for him to show up again around here is around 2061.
But the comet is increasingly losing its glow with each passing year. In fact, the comet remains majestic as always, the problem is our view of it is being affected due to the large increase in light pollution. Thanks to this, the naked eye observation of the event in its last passages becomes increasingly difficult and “frustrating”.
One of the reasons for its appreciation and fame, for us, may be due to the fact that, its observation can only be done once in a lifetime, but rare exceptions some people manage to observe it twice.
Also check out more Astronomical curiosities here at News Geek!
