British astronomer probably best known for the comet that bears his name, but there is really much more to it than that. It was through the use of Isaac Newton's laws of motion, which he encourgaged Newton to write that Halley was able to calculate the orbits of comets. When he accurately predicted the return of a certain comet in 1758, his theories that comets were part of the solar system were validated. This was the comet that is now known as Halley's comet. It was unfortunate that he did not live to see the comet's return as he had died 16 years earlier.
Among other accomplishments, Halley was named Astronomer Royal in 1721 and he also made an 18 year study of the complete revolution of our moon. Still his most important work was his Synopsis on Cometary Astronomy. |
