The Swinetrek crew celebrate the arrival of Halley's Comet
Halley's Comet is a comet visible from The Earth every 75 to 79 years, when it re-enters the solar system. The most recent occasion was in 1986. The comet is named after its discoverer, English astronomer Edmond Halley who first determined the appearances were the same comet in 1705.
References[]
- Halley's Comet is the focus of three The Muppets comic strips in January of 1986. Fozzie Bear attends a planetarium show about punctuation called "Halley's Comma" in the January 1st strip, Miss Piggy sits atop a totem pole of Muppets to get a better view of the comet in the January 2nd strip, and Gonzo launches himself into the heavens via cannon in the January 9th strip (Statler and Waldorf hope he won't be back for another 75 years either).
- In honor of the comet's return, the "Mondo Muppet" section of the Spring 1986 issue of Muppet Magazine is outer space-themed. The first and longest article is by Dr. Julius Strangepork discussing the comet and its history. He brings up Edmond Halley, "or Eddie as ve fellow scientists call him."
- Henson's Comet in the revived Muppet Babies episode "Muppet Space Camp" references Halley's Comet.