Some Interesting Facts About Halley’s Comet
- It is also called a short-term comet as it takes less than 200 years to orbit the sun.
- It looks like a peanut and is 15 kilometers long and 8 kilometers wide and thick
- It is believed to have taken birth in the Oort Cloud.
- The glowing portion of Halley’s comet is known as a coma.
- During its orbit, Halley’s comet may get as far away as Pluto is from the Sun or as close as the Venus.
- Mark Twain was born during Halley’s appearance and predicted that he would die during the next one in his autobiography. He was right. He died on 21st April 1910, a day after Halley’s comet appeared.
Halley’s Comet, 20th January 1986. (Photo by Space Frontiers/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
- Some believe that the Star of Bethlehem as seen by the wise men during the birth of Jesus was none other the Halley’s Comet.
- The Halley ’s Comet is even darker than the coal. It reflects only 4% of the sunlight receives. It shines only when it is closer to the sun as this burn off its dust and vapors.
- Halley ’s Comet can also be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidery showing the events of the of the Norman invasion of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The comet was considered to be an omen as it appeared from nowhere.