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Whose calculations predicted the return of Halley’s Comet?
Quick Answer
Edmond Halley predicted the comet’s return in 1705. He used Newton’s new theory of gravity to show it would come back in 1758.
The Full Story
Edmond Halley compared historical comet observations and realized that the comets seen in 1531, 1607 and 1682 were the same object. In 1705 he predicted its return around 1758, based on Newtonian gravity and the perturbing effects of Jupiter and Saturn. The comet reappeared in late 1758 and was later named after him. Halley’s calculation became one of the great triumphs of predictive astronomy.
Key Facts
1.Halley published the prediction in 1705
2.The comet returned in 1758/1759
3.He used Newtonian gravity
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"The comet that arrived exactly when a mathematician said it would"
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