Halley's comet

In early 1758, Messier of the French Observatory began observations, hoping to become the first person to confirm the return of a comet. On January 21, 1759, he finally found the comet. Unfortunately, the glory of observing the return of a comet for the first time did not belong to him. It turned out that on Christmas Eve in 1758, a peasant astronomy enthusiast near Dresden, Germany, had already arrived first and discovered the returning comet.

Halley's Comet passed the perihelion on March 14, 1759, exactly one month before Crayhoe's forecast. At this time, Harley had been sleeping underground for more than ten years. Scientists 'lives are limited, but their contribution to science lasts forever. Just as Halley hoped back then, everyone did not forget Halley and named this comet Halley's Comet.

Observation and research on Halley's Comet not only confirmed the existence of periodic comets, but also greatly promoted the development of comet astronomy. In addition, Halley's Comet also periodically reviews the major planets of the solar system like a roving ambassador and experiences various environments, bringing back rich information. Therefore, every return of its kind attracts great interest to astronomers.

Halley's Comet returns every 76 years and lives deeply in the border areas of the solar system for most of its time. Even with the largest modern telescope, it is difficult to find it. People on earth will only be able to see it for three to four months when it returns. Generally speaking, a human life expectancy is only about 70 years old, so it is rare for a person to see Halley's Comet twice. Only some "old birthday stars" have this opportunity. The first time they saw it was in their childhood when they were learning to babble, and the second time they saw it, they reached their stumbling old age.

What needs to be explained to readers here is that although Messier did not become the first person to confirm the return of comets, he was not discouraged. Instead, he began to systematically search for comets. Year after year, day after day, in the early morning and after dusk, a total of 21 comets were discovered in his lifetime, and the number of comets he observed reached 46. Once, King Louis XV of France jokingly called him a "detective of comets." Although this was a joke, it was the highest praise for Messier's lifelong work in hunting for comets.