Quite perhaps the most far-famed comet of them all , Halley ’s Comet is about to begin its closely 40 - class - long journey back towards the Sun , passing by our planet on its way .
The comet turn over its aphelion today ( December 9 ) , the period at which it ’s furthest away from the Sun , take itbeyond the orbitof Neptune . This represents the center in Halley ’s orbit around our star , which is unusual in that it occurs in the diametric direction to the satellite of our solar system , known as a retrograde area .
After today , Halley will set forth moving back towards the Sun , reaching perihelion – its tightlipped distance to the Sun – in mid-2061 . It ’s during this prison term that the comet will once again become visible in our skies , having disappear from view in2003 .
Halley’s Comet leaves two meteor showers in its wake, on of which is the Orionids, captured here in 2016.Image credit: Brian Spencer/Shutterstock.com
The comet has been spot many times throughout history , although it was English astronomer Edmond Halley who establish that it would fall . The last time it take place by Earth was back in1986 – if it were not for the fact that scientists had established its 76 - yr - long orbit by then , presumptively it caught a glimpse of LXXX fashion and determine the good option was to leg it trillion of miles away .
It might seem like a farsighted time since those dark Clarence Day , but Halley ’s orbit is passably short in comparison to a caboodle of comets . In its formal name , 1P / Halley , the “ atomic number 15 ” stands for “ periodic ” ; this refer to comets with an orbital period of time of less than 200 years , which uranologist consider to be brusk .
And while 76 yr is often a lifetime for us man , Halley ’s Comet appear to be keeping its youth intact . According to NASA , although it ’s estimated to have been orbiting for at least 16,000 class , observations show no obvious signs of aging in the comet .
Although we wo n’t be reckon Halley again until 2061 , its lead leave us two meteor shower bath to love in the meantime . Both theEta Aquariidsand theOrionidsoccur p.a. , the former every May and the latter every October . They are formed from the bouldery debris left in the wake of Halley ’s way and waste not , want not , they give us a dazzling show .
See you in 2061 , old friend .
