Orbit of Halley's Comet. Diagram showing the orbit (blue line) of Halley's Comet relative to the ecliptic plane of the planetary orbits (top), with dates for its most recent orbit (bottom). The solid blue line is above the ecliptic plane, the dashed blue line is below the plane. Halley's Comet, a short-term comet, orbits roughly every 76 years. Edmund Halley (1656-1742) discovered this regular behaviour, and the comet is named for him. It is currently approaching Neptune's orbit, and will return to the inner Solar System in 2061. Comets, bodies of ice & dust from the outer solar system, boil near the Sun. The evaporated material forms a tail, streaming away from the Sun.