Giotto

Giotto was a European robotic spacecraft mission from the European Space Agency. The spacecraft flew by and studied Halley's Comet and in doing so became the first spacecraft to make close up observations of a comet. On 13 March 1986, the spacecraft succeeded in approaching Halley's nucleus at a distance of 596 kilometers. It was named after the Early Italian Renaissance painter Giotto di Bondone. He had observed Halley's Comet in 1301 and was inspired to depict it as the star of Bethlehem in his painting Adoration of the Magi in the Scrovegni Chapel.

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1985 Website,  Wikimedia, Wikidata
comet probe, artificial satellite of the Sun, heliocentric orbit, 

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Location: KML, Cluster Map, Maps,

1985-07-02T00:00:00Z

1985-07-02T00:00:00Z

1985 Giotto

1986-03-14T00:00:00Z

1986-03-14T00:00:00Z

flyby

1992-07-23T00:00:00Z

1992-07-23T00:00:00Z

service retirement

1992-07-10T00:00:00Z

1992-07-10T00:00:00Z

flyby

1990-07-02T00:00:00Z

1990-07-02T00:00:00Z

gravity assist

1985-07-02T00:00:00Z

1985-07-02T00:00:00Z

rocket launch

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Frameless

FRG 1986 MiNr1273 SD B002

Comet Halley at Giotto spacecraft's closest approach

In 1986, the European spacecraft Giotto became one of the first spacecraft ever to encounter and photograph the nucleus of a comet, passing and imaging Halley's nucleus as it receded from the sun.

Giotto Whipple shield ESA239195

Comet Halley close up-cropped

1986 Comet Halley

• Giotto observations of the bow shock at Comet Halley -  (Q1860)
• Dust density and mass distribution near comet Halley from Giotto observations - scientific article (publication date: 15 May 1986) (Q1860)
• The Giotto encounter with comet Halley - scientific article published in Nature (Q1860)
• First results from the Giotto magnetometer experiment at comet Halley - scientific article published in Nature (Q1860)

Type	Subtype	Date	Description	Notes	Source
commons	image		FRG 1986 MiNr1273 SD B002		Commons
commons	image		Comet Halley at Giotto spacecraft's closest approach		Commons
commons	image		In 1986, the European spacecraft Giotto became one of the first spacecraft ever to encounter and photograph the nucleus of a comet, passing and imaging Halley's nucleus as it receded from the sun.		Commons
commons	image		Giotto Whipple shield ESA239195		Commons
commons	image		Comet Halley close up-cropped		Commons
commons	image		1986 Comet Halley		Commons