World History Minute: The discovery of Halley’s Comet

World History Minute: The discovery of Halley’s Comet
World History Minute: The discovery of Halley’s Comet

World History Minute: The discovery of Halley’s Comet

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On May 19, 1910, Halley’s Comet brushed the Earth. Edmund Halley was an 18th Century British astronomer. After studying ancient records, he decided comets had definite orbits, like planets and moons. He predicted that a comet would appear in 1759. Sure enough, the comet showed up, but Halley was dead by then. Historian John Schmidt explains how it all happened.