This timeline details all recorded appearances of Halley’s Comet
240 BCE (15th – 25th May)
First definite sighting of the comet by Chinese chroniclers.
164 BCE (May)
Viewed and recorded by the Babylonians.
87 BCE (6th – 19th August)
The comet was seen and recorded by the Chinese and the Babylonians.
12 BCE (August – 10th October)
Seen and recorded by Chinese astronomers.
66 CE (25th – 26th January)
Recorded by Roman-Jewish historian, Josephus.
141 CE (22nd – 25th March)
Viewed and recorded by Chinese chroniclers and in the Tamil work ‘Purananuru’.
218 CE (6th April – 17th May)
Recorded by Roman historian Dion Cassius.
295 CE (7th – 20th April)
A sighting of the comet was recorded by Chinese chroniclers
374 CE (13th – 16th February)
Recorded by Chinese chroniclers.
451 CE (28th June – 3rd July)
Recorded by chroniclers as appearing before the Battle of Chalons where Attila the Hun was defeated.
530 CE (27th September – 15th November)
Viewed and recorded in China and Europe.
607 CE (15th – 26th March)
Recorded by Chinese chroniclers.
684 CE (2nd October – 26th November)
The comet was viewed and recorded in Japan and Europe.
760 CE (20th May – 10th June)
Recorded by Chinese chroniclers.
837 CE (25th – 28th February)
This appearance of the comet was seen and recorded by astronomers in China, Japan, Germany, the Byzantine Empire, and the Middle East.
912 CE (18th – 27th July)
Viewed and recorded in China and Japan.
989 CE (2nd – 5th September)
The comet was seen in China and Japan.
1066 (January – 25th March)
This appearance of the comet was seen and recorded by astronomers in China and Europe. It may also have been seen in Mexico. It is famously depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry which commemorates the events of the Norman Conquest.
1145 (15th – 19th April)
The comet was seen in Europe and Asia.
1222 (10th – 28th September)
The comet was seen in Japan and eastern Asia and may have been taken as a sign by Genghis Khan.
1301 (22nd – 31st October)
This appearance was seen and described by Chinese astronomers.
1378 (9th – 14th November)
The comet was seen in the northern hemisphere and was recorded by Chinese astronomers.
1456 (8th January – 9th June)
Viewed and recorded across Asia and Europe.
1531 (26th August)
The comet was seen in Europe and Asia.
1607 (27th October)
This comet was seen and recorded by the astronomer Johannes Kepler.
1682 (15th September)
The appearance of the comet was the first seen and recorded by Edmond Halley after whom the comet is named.
1758 (13th March – 25th December)
Edmond Halley had predicted the return of the comet based.
1835 (16th August – November)
This appearance of Halley’s comet was studied by John Herschel.
1910 (20th April – 20th May)
The comet was photographed for the first time.
1986 (9th February)
Halley’s comet passed the other side of the sun which meant it was difficult to be seen by the naked eye.
2061 (around)
Halley’s comet is expected to make a return around this date.
Published Sept 24, 2019 @ 1:35 pm – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for this page:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2019). Halley’s Comet Appearances 240 BCE – Present. https://www.thetimelinegeek.com/halleys-comet-appearances. Last accessed [date]