Whose calculations helped predict the return of Halley’s Comet in 1758?
Quick Answer
Edmond Halley’s calculations correctly predicted the periodic return of the comet that now bears his name. He identified that the 1531, 1607 and 1682 comets were the same object.
The Full Story
Edmond Halley, the English astronomer, used Newton’s new theory of gravitation to study comet orbits. In 1705 he predicted that the bright comet seen in 1682 would return in about 76 years, and it did reappear in 1758, after his death. His work showed that comets were not random omens but bodies moving in predictable paths around the Sun. The comet is now known as Halley’s Comet and returns roughly every 75–76 years.
Key Facts
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