Felaket Alameti Olarak Kuyruklu Yıldızlar: 1910 Yılında Halley’in Dönüşü ve Osmanlı Devleti

Year 2025, Issue: 10, 113 - 144, 15.10.2025

Kübra Fettahoğlu

https://doi.org/10.54462/kadim.1746785

Abstract

Bu çalışma, tarihsel süreçte kuyruklu yıldızların astrolojik çıkarımlar ve apokaliptik senaryolarda oynadığı role ve bunların insanlar üzerindeki etkisine odaklanmaktadır. Çoğunlukla “felaket alameti” ve “Tanrı’nın gazabı” olarak görülen kuyruklu yıldızlar ile ilgili olumsuz algının modern dönemdeki yansımalarını 1910 yılında Halley’in dönüşü olayı üzerinden tespit etmeye çalışmaktadır. Bilim insanlarının Halley’in kuyruğunda bulunan siyanürün dünyayı az da olsa etkileyebileceğini belirtmesi üzerine yaşanan küresel histerinin izlerini sürmektedir. Bu kıyamet provasında yaşananları, dönemin süreli yayınları ve kitapları üzerinden anlatırken Halley’in politika, moda, ekonomi, edebiyat gibi alanlarda hangi yöntemlerle imgeleştirildiğini dünyadan farklı örneklerle göstermektedir. Bilim, basın, kitle kavramlarının küresel çapta birbirlerini nasıl etkilediğini sorguladıktan sonra Avrupaî tarzda modernleşmeye çalışan Osmanlı Devleti’nde Halley’in dönüşünün nasıl algılandığını ve hangi konularda araçsallaştırıldığını ilk kez ortaya koymaktadır. Böylece, bu tür popüler doğa olaylarının, yalnızca bilimsel merak konusu değil, aynı zamanda siyasal meşruiyetin, toplumsal düzenin ve kolektif duyguların müzakere alanı olduğu gösterilmiştir.

Keywords

Halley Kuyruklu Yıldızı , Osmanlı Devleti , Modern Bilim , Kıyamet , Basın , İmge

Comets As Omens of Catastrophe: Halley’s Return in 1910 and the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

This study examines the historical role of comets in astrological interpretations and apocalyptic narratives, as well as their psychological and cultural impact on societies. It aims to explore how the longstanding negative perception of comets—often seen as “omens of catastrophe” or manifestations of “God’s wrath”—was reflected in the modern era, focusing specifically on the return of Halley’s Comet in 1910. The study traces the wave of global hysteria sparked by scientific claims that cyanogen in Halley’s tail might slightly affect the planet. Drawing on periodicals and books from the time, it recounts this symbolic doomsday rehearsal and presents examples from various parts of the world to illustrate how Halley’s Comet was represented across domains such as politics, fashion, economics, and literature. By analyzing the interplay between science, the press, and public perception on a global scale, the study, for the first time, reveals how Halley’s return was interpreted in the Ottoman Empire— an empire engaged in European-style modernization—and how it was strategically utilized within that context. Accordingly, the study argues that such popular natural phenomena were not merely subjects of scientific curiosity, but also served as contested arenas where political legitimacy, social order, and collective emotion were negotiated and redefined.

Keywords

Halley’s Comet , Ottoman Empire , Apocalypse , Modern Science , Press , Imagery

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