Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet is the the Sol system's best known comet, with a regular orbit of approximately 76 years. Halley's Comet is often visible from Earth's surface when nearing perihelion, its point of least distance from Sol.
Two of Halley's appearances marked the years of the birth (1835) and death (1910) of the famous American writer Samuel Clemens. A time travel incident brought him from San Francisco of 1893 to a short visit on the decks of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) in 2369. Clemens was curious if the space ship had ever reached Halley's Comet. (TNG: "Time's Arrow")
In 1996, the Griffith Observatory featured an exhibit about Halley's Comet. In order to get from Rain Robinson's lab to the lobby, one had to "go right down the hall, take a left at Mars, right at Halley's Comet and then just keep going straight ahead past the soda machine". (VOY: "Future's End")
Background[edit]
After 1910, Halley's Comet's perihelia occurred/will occur in:
- April 7, 1986
- July 29, 2061
- May 7, 2134
Given the gravitational effect of the Sol system planets on the comet, it is nearly impossible to predict accurately the dates of Halley's perihelia past 2134.
