Abstract
December 25, 1758.—Newton having stated the principles by which the of a comet could be determined, Halley the paths of twenty-four comets which had appeared between 1337 arid 1698. Finding t e 5 closely resembling one another, he was le e conclusion that, Ileo-callod three comets we different of the same comet at intervals of 75 or 76 years. Further investigation, in which he allowed for the retarding influence of Jupiter on the comet, led to the prec otion of this comet's return. He knew he could not live to see it, but he wrote, “If it should reim, according to our predictions, about the year 1758, impartial posterity will not refuse to acknowledge that this was first discovered by an Englishman” As the time for its reappearance drew near, its orbit was recalculated and the comet was recognised on Christmas Day, 1758.
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S., E. Calendar of Discovery and Invention. Nature 120, 937 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/120937a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/120937a0