Halley's Comet in its inert state, illustration. Halley's Comet orbits the Sun (upper right) every 76 years. Edmund Halley (1656-1742) discovered this regular behaviour, and the comet is named for him. It will next return to the inner Solar System in 2061. Comets are bodies of ice and dust from the outer solar system. The ices boil near the Sun, and the evaporated material forms a tail, streaming away from the Sun. This tail can be many millions of kilometres long and can be very bright. Because of the unexpected nature of their appearance, comets were often thought to foretell impending disaster. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / TIM BROWN |
Bildgröße: | 4724 px × 4988 px |
Modell-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Eigentums-Rechte: | nicht erforderlich |
Restrictions: | - |