Halley's Comet, French Postcard, 1910

Halley's Comet, French Postcard, 1910

As the French put it, "On seeing the Comet, one realizes that it is nothing more than a pretty girl thrown from Paradise for seducing the eternal father." The 1910 approach of Halley's Comet, which came into naked-eye view around April 10 and came to perihelion on April 20, was notable for several reasons: it was the first approach of which photographs exist, and the first for which spectroscopic data were obtained. Furthermore, the comet made a relatively close approach of 0.15 AU, making it a spectacular sight. Indeed, on May 19, Earth actually passed through the tail of the comet. Halley's Comet is a short-period comet visible from Earth every 74-79 years. Halley is the only known short-period comet that is regularly visible to the naked eye from Earth, and the only naked-eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. A postcard is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Postcards were made because people were looking for an easier way to send quick notes.

Album / NYPL/Science Source

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2622 x 3765 px | 28.2 MB

22.2 x 31.9 cm | 8.7 x 12.6 in (300 dpi)