Halley — the traditional pronunciation of the name usually rhymes with valley — was born Nov. 8, 1656, in Haggerston, Shoreditch, London, England. His father was a prosperous soapmaker and property owner. Halley was tutored privately at home before entering St. Paul's School, where he excelled in mathematics and astronomy.
Halley entered Queen's College, Oxford, in 1673, when he was 17 years old. He brought with him a fine collection of astronomical instruments purchased by his father. While still an undergrad, he became a protégée of John Flamsteed, the Astronomer Royal. Halley made important observations at Oxford, including an occultation of Mars by the moon, and published papers on the solar system and on suns