After zooming away from Earth for nearly 40 years, Halley's Comet has finally turned tail and started heading back our way — setting the stage for a spectacular close-up in 2061.
In a sense, this is the midway point of Halley's routine, 76-year orbit of the sun. For the last 38 years or so, the comet has moved millions of miles farther away from us every day; now, it will spend the next 38 years moving closer.Halley's last close approach of the sun was on Feb. 9, 1986, when it swooped to within 54.6 million miles of the sun, according to NASA; that's about 0.58 AU from the our home star, or just interior to the orbit of Venus.
Halley's Comet was the first comet predicted to return to Earth's skies. Astronomer Edmond Halley observed the comet in 1682 without knowing exactly what it was — he first dubbed it a"hairy star," according to skywatching news site EarthSky. By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Halley compared his observations to similar sightings reported in 1531 and 1607, and he hypothesized that all three sightings were repeat appearances of the same object. Halley predicted the object would appear again in 1758 — and so it did. Halley, who died in 1742, never got to confirm his predictions, although future scholars eventually named the comet in his honor.