Halley’s Comet
E701919
Halley-type comet
non-periodic comet in historical records (before periodicity recognized)
periodic comet
short-period comet
Halley’s Comet is a famous short-period comet visible from Earth roughly every 76 years, historically recorded for millennia and notable for its bright, easily observed appearances.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Halley's Comet | 1 |
Statements (64)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Halley-type comet
ⓘ
non-periodic comet in historical records (before periodicity recognized) ⓘ periodic comet ⓘ short-period comet ⓘ |
| discoverer | Edmond Halley (periodicity) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAphelionDistance | about 35 astronomical units ⓘ |
| hasBrightnessAtPerihelion | can reach apparent magnitude around +2 or brighter in favorable returns ⓘ |
| hasComposition |
carbon dioxide
ⓘ
carbon monoxide ⓘ dust ⓘ water ice ⓘ |
| hasCulturalSignificance |
considered an omen in many pre-modern cultures
ⓘ
inspired artworks, literature, and scientific interest over millennia ⓘ |
| hasDensity | about 0.6 g/cm³ (low-density, porous) ⓘ |
| hasDesignation | 1P/Halley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasDustProduction | significant dust jets observed near perihelion ⓘ |
| hasDynamicalClass | Halley-type comet (orbital period 20–200 years, high inclination) ⓘ |
| hasEarliestReliableRecord | 240 BCE (Chinese chronicles) ⓘ |
| hasEscapeVelocity | on the order of 0.002 km/s (very low) ⓘ |
| hasHistoricalObservation |
1066 appearance depicted on Bayeux Tapestry
ⓘ
1456 appearance associated with Ottoman siege of Belgrade in European chronicles ⓘ 1910 appearance widely photographed and spectroscopically studied ⓘ 1986 appearance observed by multiple spacecraft ⓘ |
| hasInclination | about 162 degrees to the ecliptic ⓘ |
| hasLastPerihelionDate | 1986-02-09 ⓘ |
| hasMass | on the order of 2.2×10^14 kg (approximate) ⓘ |
| hasMeteorShowerAssociation |
Eta Aquariids
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Orionids ⓘ |
| hasMinorPlanetCenterDesignation | 1P/Halley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasNextPerihelionDate | 2061-07-28 (approximate) ⓘ |
| hasNonGravitationalEffects | outgassing alters its orbital period slightly between returns ⓘ |
| hasNucleusAlbedo | very low (dark, ~0.04) ⓘ |
| hasNucleusDimensions | approximately 15 km × 8 km × 8 km ⓘ |
| hasNucleusMeanDiameter | about 11 km ⓘ |
| hasNucleusShape | irregular ⓘ |
| hasOrbitalDirection | retrograde ⓘ |
| hasOrbitalEccentricity | about 0.967 ⓘ |
| hasOrbitalPeriod |
about 75–76 years
ⓘ
approximately 75.3 years (current value, variable over time) ⓘ |
| hasOriginRegion | likely Oort Cloud (dynamical origin) ⓘ |
| hasPerihelionDistance | about 0.586 astronomical units ⓘ |
| hasPreviousPerihelionDate |
1066-03-20 (approximate historical date)
ⓘ
1456-06-08 (approximate historical date) ⓘ 1531-08-26 ⓘ 1607-10-26 ⓘ 1682-09-15 ⓘ 1759-03-13 ⓘ 1835-11-16 ⓘ 1910-04-20 ⓘ |
| hasSemimajorAxis | about 17.8 astronomical units ⓘ |
| hasSpaceMissionCampaign | Halley Armada (informal name for 1986 spacecraft fleet) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasSpectralFeatures | emission from CN, C2, and other radicals in coma ⓘ |
| hasSurfaceGravity | extremely weak microgravity ⓘ |
| hasTailType |
dust tail
ⓘ
ion tail ⓘ |
| hasVisibilityFromEarth | naked-eye object during favorable apparitions ⓘ |
| memberOf | Solar System NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| namedAfter | Edmond Halley NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| orbits | Sun ⓘ |
| visitedBySpacecraft |
Giotto
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Sakigake NERFINISHED ⓘ Suisei NERFINISHED ⓘ Vega 1 NERFINISHED ⓘ Vega 2 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Halley's Comet