A comet is a celestial body that orbits the sun and is composed of ice, dust, and gases. When a comet approaches the sun, the ice evaporates creating its iconic tail. The Halley comet is named after Edmond Halley, who discovered that it had appeared in 1456, 1531, and 1667, and correctly predicted its return in 1758 or 1759. Edmond Halley was born in London in 1656 and was the first to identify the periodic nature of the comet that now bears his name. He studied it in 1682 and predicted its orbital pattern, establishing himself as the first to forecast the return of a comet.