The comet's last appearance in our skies came in 1986, and the next is due in 2061. In 1705, English astronomer Edmond Halley suggested that a comet spotted 1682 was the same one that lit up the ...

Orionid meteor shower peaks next few nights. The last time Halley’s Comet visited the inner solar system was in 1986, but we’ll be able to see some pieces of it this week in the form of meteors.

Halley's passing is measured from one perihelion passage, the closest distance to the sun, to the next, with its shortest orbit being 74.42 years, between 1835 and 1910, according to NASA.

The next meteor shower is the Eta Aquarids, which is expected to peak on May 5. Following the Eta Aquarids, the next major meteor shower is the Perseids, which typically peak in mid-August.

The most famous comet of all is headed back toward Earth. Halley’s comet reached aphelion — its farthest point from the sun — on Dec. 8, at which point it began its long journey back to the sun.

Halley's Comet has left a visible legacy in the form of these two annual meteor showers, one of which is the Orionids. This will be a good year to look for them, since the moon will have slimmed ...

On Saturday, Dec. 9, the famous comet reverses direction and begins its long journey back towards Earth. An engraving depicts the 1682 appearance of Halley's Comet over Augsburg, Germany.