Halley's comet

[ hal-eezor, sometimes, hey-leez ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a comet with a period averaging 76 years. In this century it was visible to terrestrial observers just before and after reaching perihelion in 1910 and again in 1986.

Halley's Comet

/ ˈ��æ��ɪ�� /

noun

a comet revolving around the sun in a period of about 76 years, last seen in 1985–86

Halley's comet

A short-period comet that orbits the Sun once every 76 years. It is visible to the unaided eye and last appeared in 1986, when close observation by spacecraft showed that its nucleus measures about 16 km (10 mi) by 8 km (5 mi) and is composed of water ice, stony minerals, and organic compounds. Its next appearance will be in the year 2061.

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Pronunciation Note

The common pronunciation for both the comet and the astronomer after whom it is named is [hal, -ee]. This is the pronunciation usually recommended by astronomers. However, several variant spellings of the name, including Hailey, Haley, and Hawley, were used interchangeably during the astronomer's own time, a period when spellings even of proper names were not yet fixed, and corresponding pronunciations have survived. The pronunciation [hey, -lee] in particular remains associated with Halley's comet ; it is less likely to be heard as a pronunciation of Edmund Halley .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of Halley's comet¹

Named after Edmund Halley, who first predicted its return

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Halley's Comet orbits the Sun in the opposite direction from Earth and we cross this orbit twice a year, the other time being early May, which gives us the Eta Aquariids meteor shower.

From

Visible until 7 November this year, the Orionids are an annual event and one of two meteor showers to originate from one of the best known comets in our Solar System - Halley's Comet.

From

The Orionid meteor shower — often known as “the Orionids” for short — occurs every year thanks to Halley’s Comet.

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In 1990, he created his own one-man show, “Halley’s Comet,” in which he played a man looking back across the century, and which he toured as recently as 2017.

From

For decades, he traveled around the United States performing a one-man show he had penned about an 87-year-old man awaiting the return of Halley’s Comet.

From

Halley halliard

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