Biography
Edmond Halley was an English astronomer and the second Astronomer Royal. Recognising that several recorded comets were one body on a 76-year orbit, he predicted its return in 1758 — confirmed after his death, and now called Halley's Comet. He also paid for and shepherded the publication of Newton's Principia, which might otherwise never have appeared.
Scientific contributions
- Predicted the return of the comet that bears his name
- Funded and encouraged the publication of Newton's Principia
- Catalogued the southern stars from Saint Helena
Major discoveries
Related scientists
Observatories, instruments & objects
Knowledge connections
- Namesake ofHalley's Comet
- Collaborated withIsaac Newton
- Part ofThe Scientific Revolution
- Collaborated withIsaac Newton
- ObservedHalley's Comet
- DiscoveredThe Periodicity of Halley's Comet
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica
General reference for the history of astronomy, biographies, and cultural context.
- IAUInternational Astronomical Union
Official naming, definitions, constellation boundaries, and astronomical nomenclature.