German astronomer Johann Georg Palitzsch was born #OTD in 1723.
On December 25, 1758, Palitzsch became the first person to observe the return of Halley's Comet, confirming Halley's prediction, which was based on his calculations of the comet's orbit and its previous appearances. This was a significant milestone in the field of astronomy, providing strong evidence for the accuracy of Newtonian mechanics and the predictability of cometary orbits.