Halley's Comet Sighted

Date: December 25, 1758 • Location: Rome, Italy

Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time.

Halley's Comet is the only known short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing roughly every 74–79 years. It last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061. Officially designated 1P/Halley, it is also commonly called Comet Halley, or sometimes simply Halley.