Halley

Halley commonly refers to Edmond Halley, an English astronomer and mathematician, and to Halley’s Comet, a celestial object named in his honor. The name is also used for places and facilities associated with him, including Halley Bay and the Halley Research Station in Antarctica.

Halley’s Comet, officially designated 1P/Halley, is a short-period comet with an orbital period of about 75 to 76 years. It is one of the best known comets and has been observed since ancient times, with historical sightings recorded in various civilizations. The comet becomes visible from Earth as it approaches the Sun, displaying a coma and a tail formed by outgassing of volatile materials. The last perihelion occurred in 1986; the next is expected around 2061 or 2062. The 1986 apparition was the first to be extensively studied by spacecraft, including ESA’s Giotto and the Soviet Vega missions, which advanced measurements of its nucleus and composition.

Edmond Halley (1656–1742) was a prominent English astronomer and mathematician who proposed that certain historical comets were the same object returning periodically. Using Newtonian mechanics, he calculated an orbit that predicted the comet’s return, a forecast later validated after his death. The comet’s association with Halley helped cement his scientific legacy.

Halley Research Station is a British Antarctic Survey facility named after Edmond Halley. Located on the Brunt Ice Shelf near Halley Bay, it has operated since the mid-20th century and has seen modernization in modular forms (Halley VI) to withstand harsh Antarctic conditions. Halley Bay is a nearby coastal feature named for the same namesake.