The Halley takes its name from Edmond Halley, the famous English astronomer whom Halley's Comet was named after. Born in 1656, Halley took a keen interest in astronomy from a young age and would be responsible for several notable experiments and theories throughout his life. He was the first to map the Southern stars, and whilst doing so realised the future observation of the transit of Venus between the Sun and Earth could be used to trigonometrically calculate the distances between Earth, Venus, and the Sun.
In 1682, Halley observed what would become known as Halley’s Comet, going on to use Isaac Newton’s laws of motion to accurately predict its return in 1758, which he sadly never lived to see.
Halley helped Isaac Newton publish his book, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in 1687, in which Newton expounds upon his laws of motion and gravitation, which is regarded as one of the most influential scientific books in history. In 1720, Halley succeeded Flamsteed as the second Astronomer Royal, a position Halley held until his death in 1742 at the age of 85.