After zooming away from Earth for nearly 40 years, Halley's Comet is about to turn tail and head back our way — setting the stage for a spectacular close-up in 2061.
On Saturday, Dec. 9, the famous comet is predicted to reach its farthest point from the sun, also known as its aphelion, at a distance of about 35 astronomical units (AU) — or about 35 times the distance between Earth and the sun, according to NASA. That puts the comet well beyond the orbit of Neptune, and nearly in the front yard of Pluto, which orbits at about 39 AU.
