Halley's comet

named after Edmund Halley, who first predicted its return

The common pronunciation for both the comet and the astronomer after whom it is named is [hal-ee]. /ˈhæl i/. This is the pronunciation usually recommended by astronomers. However, several variant spellings of the name, including Hailey, Haley, and Hawley, were used interchangeably during the astronomer's own time, a period when spellings even of proper names were not yet fixed, and corresponding pronunciations have survived. The pronunciation [hey-lee] /ˈheɪ li/ in particular remains associated with Halley's comet ; it is less likely to be heard as a pronunciation of Edmund Halley .