The most famous periodic comet. Its aphelion is beyond the orbit of Neptune, but it returns to the inner Solar System every 76 years. Named after the 17th century British scientist, Edmond Halley, who first recognised its regular pattern of reappearances. Studied by a fleet of spacecraft during its 1986 apparition, including ESA's Giotto.

Edmond Halley (1656-1742) English astronomer. In 1758, predicted accurately the return of a comet previously observed in 1531, 1607, 1682. The body was subsequently named Halley's Comet.

English astronomer who used Newton's laws of motion to predict the period of a comet (1656-1742)

Probably the most famous comet. Named after Edmund Halley who first predicted the periodic return of comets.