#40YearsAgo ESA's Giotto spacecraft first detected hydrogen ions from #CometHalley on 12 March 1986, when the probe was about 7.8 million km away from the nucleus.
This marked the beginning of ESA's first comet flyby, making its closest approach on 14 March 1986!
@science.esa.int @esa.int
Today is the 40th anniversary of Comet Halley reaching its closest to the Sun (perihelion) during its 1986 return to the inner Solar System.
#HistoryOfAstronomy
#CometHalley
#HalleysComet
[Image: W. Liller and NASA, from the Wikimedia Commons]
A photograph taken by the Kuiper Airborne Observatory in 1986, showing Comet Halley as a bright white streak traversing the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The image depicts the vastness of space, with billions of stars visible in the Milky Way's galactic disk, juxtaposed against the much closer comet.
Astronomy Picture from 03/10/1997
Comet Halley and the Milky Way
Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap971003.html
#CometHalley #MilkyWay #1986 #KuiperAirborneObservatory #Space #Astronomy #Cosmology #Comet #Galaxy
A stunning panoramic view of the Orionid meteor shower, radiating from near Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. Approximately 47 meteors streak across the night sky, their trails captured against the backdrop of the Milky Way galaxy and the mountains of eastern Slovakia near Presov. The image is a composite of photos taken between 2015 and 2022, showcasing the meteor shower's radiant point and the celestial beauty of the event.
Astronomy Picture from 28/10/2022
Seven Years of Halley Dust
Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221028.html
#Orionids #MeteorShower #HalleyComet #NightSky #Astrophotography #Slovakia #MilkyWay #Stars #Space #Astronomy #CometHalley #Nature #Cosmology #NightPhotography
A stunning long-exposure photograph captures a meteor from the Eta Aquarids meteor shower streaking across a night sky filled with the Milky Way. The reflection of the stars and the meteor is visible in a calm pond, with silhouetted trees in the foreground. The orange glow of artificial lights is subtly visible on the horizon, enhancing the contrast of the celestial event.
Astronomy Picture from 09/05/2014
Halley Dust and Milky Way
Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140509.html
#EtaAquarids #MeteorShower #MilkyWay #NightSky #Astrophotography #Maine #CometHalley #Stars #Astronomy #Space #NaturePhotography #SkyGazing #LongExposure
Cleaned up image of Comet Halley when it last passed by Earth in 1986 taken by the Giotto spacecraft
Did this #wallpaper of #comethalley many years ago for shits & giggles. Cleaned up all the noise of the actual image so it was smooth and easier to enjoy looking at. So it is real/not. Funny thing is I have seen this version pop-up many times on the interwebs over the years #bskycometography #SciArt
