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Mark Twain was born on 30 November 1835, two weeks after Halley's Comet swung round the Sun. In 1909 he said he expected to go out with it. He died on 21 April 1910, one day after the comet's next closest pass.

Albert Bigelow Paine, Mark Twain: A Biography, 1912

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The story behind the card

According to his biographer Albert Bigelow Paine, Twain said in 1909: 'I came in with Halley's comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.' He described himself and the comet as 'two unaccountable freaks' that had come in together and must go out together. The dates are the comet's perihelions, its closest passes to the Sun, and they frame his life almost exactly: he was born a fortnight after one and died a day after the next. Halley's Comet returns roughly every 76 years; it is next due in 2061.

Türkçe oku
Mark Twain, Halley Kuyruklu Yıldızı'nın Güneş'e en çok yaklaşmasından iki hafta sonra, 30 Kasım 1835'te doğdu. 1909'da kuyruklu yıldızla birlikte gideceğini söyledi. Kuyruklu yıldız yeniden Güneş'e en yakın noktasına vardıktan bir gün sonra, 21 Nisan 1910'da öldü.
Albert Bigelow Paine, Mark Twain: A Biography, 1912

Biyografisini yazan Albert Bigelow Paine'e göre Twain 1909'da şöyle demişti: “1835'te Halley Kuyruklu Yıldızı'yla geldim. Gelecek yıl yine geliyor ve ben de onunla birlikte gitmeyi bekliyorum.” Kendisiyle kuyruklu yıldızı, birlikte gelmiş ve birlikte gitmesi gereken “iki açıklanamaz tuhaflık” olarak görüyordu. Bu tarihler kuyruklu yıldızın günberisi, yani Güneş'e en çok yaklaştığı anlardır ve Twain'in ömrünü neredeyse tam olarak çerçeveler: Birinden iki hafta sonra doğdu, ötekinden bir gün sonra öldü. Halley yaklaşık 76 yılda bir geri döner; bir sonraki gelişi 2061'de bekleniyor.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Halley's Comet
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