Halley Observatory Mount Guajara | ruins

Spain / Santa Cruz de Tenerife / Vilaflor / Sendero 15 * Alto de Guajara, 2.718 m
 observatory, ruins
by Jean Mascart
The 1910 approach, which came into naked-eye view around 10 April and came to perihelion on 20 April, 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 19 May, Earth actually passed through the tail of the comet. One of the substances discovered in the tail by spectroscopic analysis was the toxic gas cyanogen, which led astronomer Camille Flammarion to claim that, when Earth passed through the tail, the gas "would impregnate the atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet."
Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halley's_Comet
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   28°13'0"N   16°36'42"W
This article was last modified 7 years ago