Optical photograph of Halley's comet taken on the 6th January 1986 at Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. Last sighting was in 1910. The comet, named

---

Optical photograph of Halley's comet taken on the 6th January 1986 at Herstmonceux, East Sussex, England. Last sighting was in 1910. The comet, named after Edmund Halley who recognised its periodicity, has looped the sun every 76 years since first recorded appearance 240 B. C. It's structure comprises a nucleus of ice & dust, similar to a \dirty snowball\", & a tail. The latter is formed as the comet nears the Sun & is heated. Dust & gas are released, ionised by the Sun's UV radiation & swept into a tail by solar wind."

---

Size: 3535px × 5315px
Photo credit: © ROYAL GREENWICH OBSERVATORY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1985-86, astronomy, comet, cometary, cosmology, hall, halley, halleys, optical, science