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Halley‐family comet

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 520 words | Copyright

Halley‐family comet A member of a group of comets with short to intermediate periods (20–200 years) and aphelia between 7.4 and 40 AU; also known as a Halley‐type comet. The prototype is Comet Halley itself. Other well‐known members are comets Tempel–Tuttle and Swift–Tuttle. Members of the Halley family are thought to derive from the inner Oort Cloud by gravitational interaction with the giant planets. As of the end of 2006 nearly 50 members of the family were known.

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