Nicole-Reine Lepaute and Alexis Clairault, Halley's Comet, 1759
Nicole-Reine Lepaute (January 5, 1723 - December 6, 1788) was a French astronomer and mathematician. Jérôme Lalande recommended her along with the mathematician Alexis Clairault to calculate the predicted return of Halley's Comet. The team worked on the calculations for more than six months. In November 1758, the team presented their conclusion that the comet would arrive on April 13, 1759. They were almost correct, as the comet arrived on March 13, 1759. As a result of their calculations, this was the first time scientists had successfully predicted when the comet would cross the perihelion. Halley's Comet is the best known of the short-period comets and is visible from Earth every 75-76 years. It is the only short-period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and thus the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime.
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