The Mark Twain - Halley Comet connection

[Amar Sharma]

Transcendental events, with mystical figures...Read on. The well-known author of many comedies, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, under the pen name of Mark Twain, did he really have something to do with the most famous of all celestial visitors, Halley's comet?? In 1835, Halley's perihelion was on November 10, 1835. He was born on November 30, 1835 the return of Halley's, when it was still shining in the sky, that means he arrived 20 days after it's arrival. Twain departed the planet on 21 April, 1910, the next day after perihelion, when it was again shining in the sky, that means he departed the next day after it did ! He came with it and went with it !! Co-incidence? Quoting from his biography : I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: "Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together." - Mark Twain, a Biography And we hear echoes of Shakespeare: When beggars die, then are no comets seen: The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. He entered in a state of coma in the afternoon and by evening's sunset, 6:30 pm he had already stopped breathing (disproves a suicide attempt, for the critics). P.S. - Can anyone please find out if he ever mentioned about Halley's in his literature, or if it held any importance to him? I tried finding long ago, but didn't anything. Am extremely interested in historic aspects of comets. ************** Amar A. Sharma Bangalore Astronomical Society www.bas.org.in Signature : Comets are like cats; they have tails, and they do precisely what they want!