halley's comet

English - Turkish

Definition of halley's comet in English Turkish dictionary

Halley kuyruklu yıldız

English - English

Definition of halley's comet in English English dictionary

A very bright comet which can be seen every 75-76 years

a comet (=an object in space like a bright ball with a long tail) that moves around the Sun and passes close to the Earth every 76 years. It was named after the English astronomer Edmund Halley (1656-1742), and it last appeared close to the Earth in 1986. First comet whose return was predicted, proving that at least some comets are members of the solar system. Edmond Halley showed in 1705 that comets seen in 1531, 1607, and 1682 were really one comet, and he predicted its return in 1758. Later calculations identified it with the large, bright comet seen during the Norman Conquest (and depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry) and with other comet sightings at intervals of about 76 years, the first in 240 BC. The only easily seen comet that returns in a single lifetime, it approached Earth twice in the 20th century (1910, 1985-86). Its nucleus is roughly 9 mi (15 km) across

large comet which completes an orbit around the sun every 76 years

Related Terms

Comet Halley

A very bright comet that can be seen every 75-76 years

Hyphenation

halley's com·et

Synonyms

1p/halley, comet halley, halley

Etymology

() {Circa 1758} Named for Edmond Halley, the English astronomer who first computed its orbit and established its periodicity (observations of individual passages date back at least to 240 B.C.). Halley predicted the return of the comet (then last seen in 1682) in 1705; when it did return in late 1758, it quickly acquired this name.