An Initial Study of the Heavens

[_Indy 135]

An Initial Study of the Heavens - Preliminary Findings of the Observatory at the Northern Geographic Society

 

 

Figure 1: Inside the observatory, the telescope in the center

 

 

Astronomical observations made upon the ground are subject to many limitations, many of which are not within our individual powers to change or control. The position of the observer, based upon their latitude on the surface of the observing body, will determine what celestial bodies are visible to them, assuming that the observer is upon a spherical body. Moreover, our various flights over the preceding millennia have taken us between many different realms, whose position relative to others in the heavens may be vastly different than the realm we currently inhabit. By using the observatory at the NGS building in Karosgrad, shown above, I endeavored to discover some truths about the heavens above us, shining brightly in the night.

 

Be that as it may, I seek only to chronicle what can be observed, not what might come to be. As such, with use of the observatory in the possession of the Northern Geographic Society, I present my star map of the heavens over Almaris.

 

Figure 2: A composite portrait of the stars within the northern hemisphere

[Click to enlarge, it's kinda big]

 

This composite was made from six different images, concatenated into the image seen above. It took several nights of observation, both to record the position of the stars, but also to verify that their recording was accurate.

 

While my time with the observatory has been brief, there are a number of discoveries I have made, which I shall detail below:

 

1)      There are a number of stars that shine brighter in our sky than others, and I believe these to be of close proximity. These physical bodies should appear brighter than their fellow celestial brethren, purely because of their proximity to us. With the telescope in our observatory, I have managed to confirm that a few of these brighter ‘stars’ appear to actually be several physical bodies that float in the night sky. I have identified three such bodies that exhibit physical form that can be observed. Occasionally these bodies seem to have smaller, almost imperceptible flashes of light floating near them. I cannot state more on the matter, as the optical prowess of the telescope at the NGS observatory in Karosgrad requires some fine tuning before I can produce cleaner images of the celestial bodies. What I can state is that, by virtue of the magnification capable of the telescope, and of the brightness of the objects, that they are truly gargantuan in size, such that it is difficult to comprehend their full measure.

 

2)      I believe the other stars that make up the night sky are, in fact, various versions of our own sun, except that they are distant beyond comprehension. In my observation, as described above, I was never able to distinguish a physical shape or presence in the telescope of the stars. If these objects do give off light, but do not appear to have a physical body, then they must be quite distant indeed. Moreover, in order for anything to be seen from a great distance, either it must be illuminated, or illuminate itself. In the case of the bodies that hang in our night sky, they are illuminated by our sun, as a ship might be illuminated by a lighthouse in a storm. In the same analogy, these other stars appear to be distant lighthouses, whose shape may not be discerned, but whose presence is made clear by the light they emit. It is entirely possibly that these stars could be distant holes in the fabric of our reality, perhaps suspended aenguls or daemons, but regardless of what these luminous objects might be, they are definitely distant sources of light. I cannot state conclusively that they are versions of our own sun, but I postulate that it could be the case.

 

3)      Based upon the varying amounts of light (luminosity, as I’m told the term is), there are three conclusions that can be drawn. In the first case, every star in the sky that is not a near-body is some sort of light emitting source, and just varying levels of distance from us. In the second case, every star might be different from one another, and perhaps all equidistant from us, the observers. And in the third case, every star in the sky that is not a near-body and is a light emitting source, but of varying luminosity AND distance, such that any star selected at random could be of a different luminosity and distance than another randomly selected star, from the observer’s perspective. I believe the third case to be the most likely, as things in nature rarely tend to be simple, a flock of birds or a swarm of flies is the best mental image I could recommend to visualize this concept.

 

4)     Finally, I believe there to be as equally many stars near/around the sun as there are around the moon at night. The reason for their visual absence is purely because the sun is too bright, and prevents these other stars from being seen. While this should come as a surprise to no one, it does bring up the question of what unseen near-bodies of cosmic phenomenon may lie hidden from our view. I plan to inquire with any proficient tinkerers, practitioners of optometry, or perhaps enchanters who might be able to offer a solution to my observational conundrum.

 

I endeavor to continue my study of the heavens, so as to uncover some more discoveries about the nature of this realm we inhabit. Should anyone have any insights or questions, please write me a bird, or perhaps contact the Northern Geographic Society with inquiries.