1P/Halley Comet

1P/Halley — comet with 75.32-year orbit, 11 km nucleus. First confirmed periodic comet (predicted by Edmund Halley, 1705). 11 km peanut-shaped nucleus with active jets. Mass…

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Data

Nucleus size11 km
Orbital period75.32 years
Perihelion0.586 AU
Aphelion35.08 AU
Eccentricity0.9671
Discovered240 BC
Next perihelion2061-Jul-28
CompositionH2O ice, CO2 ice, CO ice, Dust, Organic compounds

Details

First confirmed periodic comet (predicted by Edmund Halley, 1705). 11 km peanut-shaped nucleus with active jets. Mass ~2.2×10¹⁴ kg, density ~0.6 g/cm³ (rubble pile). Rich in volatiles: H₂O, CO₂, CO with organic compounds. 1986 fleet (Vega 1/2, Giotto, Suisei, Sakigake) revealed surface albedo ~0.04 (one of darkest objects in solar system). D/H ratio in water ~3× Earth's oceans, suggesting cometary water alone cannot explain Earth's ocean origin. Potential ISRU target for water extraction at perihelion (0.586 AU), but retrograde orbit (i=162°) makes rendezvous ΔV ~50 km/s — extremely challenging.

Sources / 数据来源

JPL Small-Body Database / IAU Minor Planet Center

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