Reading: "Dead Cities of the Stars" from RITUALS OF THE ANTITHETICAL (A.Glass 2023)

 

“An incredible find, the James Webb Telescope has discovered, what appears to be, a City on a distant planet. Which is actually the Trappist system, and only Forty light years away from our planet and solar system. These images that you are now viewing, show, despite their faintness, cities like here on Earth, residing near oceans of the planet. It is astounding, looking at what seems like any city on Earth, yet as you can see the cities appear dark, with only shapes and outlines representing the city mass with their buildings. This image, is the close up of the last image, picked up by the James Webb Telescope, enhanced here by NASA technicians that have give a richer detail to the photo, showing the city boundaries. Joining me is NASA physicist Karen Nader, who will explain all this better to our audience.

Thank you for joining us today, could you please explain this amazing find, it is astounding.”

“Yes, it is absolutely amazing image, we are all so excited by this and still processing what we and everyone else is viewing. At this point, as the images have just been released from NASA and of course now globally this is major news item, yet we still fine tuning the data from the James Webb to ensure that we have a correct image formulated from the telescope, which certainly does look like a city.”

“I think we are all breathless from this, and it’s early days for the human race to digest this historic and life changing event for humanity. In would be fair to say that we are in a state of shock. Dr Nader, what was the planet in the Trappist system that these images came from?”

“That planet is known as Trappist 1E, which is the most similar planet to our Earth, although slightly smaller, however the Seven planets orbit a red dwarf sun, which is, if it was a younger sun, would be too unstable for life. Constant solar flares and tidal locked planets, the moisture or water of these planets of the Trappist system would be all but evaporated. This array of planets, more so Trappist 1E, sits in a very stable region of their solar system cycle and F, G and H seem to be more icy orientated with frozen oceans, E is the one that does, as we can see from these images, resemble Earth.”

“I have to ask, also, despite the clarity of these images. Why do these cities appear so dark? With only a faint outline, that has been enhanced by NASA technicians.”

“Well, I know there has been some conspiracy theorists thinking that we at NASA are making all this up…”

“We can never satisfy them.”

“...Yes! Either we are hiding the aliens or denying the aliens. So, the issue relates to gravitational lensing and the Trappist 1E atmosphere. You have to remember that the James Webb Telescope is orbiting our Sun and Trappist 1E is orbiting its red dwarf, for the two to align up, which happens every Fifty years and what we needed was our sun to be in front of the telescope and the red dwarf of the Trappist solar system to be behind Trappist 1E, which in turn, without being overly technical allowed us to enhance the lensing ability of the James Webb Telescope. It is like fitting another lens atop of the already precision lens of the Space telescope. To answer your question in regards to the images clarity. With the technology that we have, it was an incredible feat, Trappist 1E atmosphere is a lot more denser than our, with a lot of similarities. Particularly the detection of oxygen over a very rocky and mountainous planet. Hence the image appearing somewhat darkened.”

“Now, the biggest question and maybe we’re jumping ahead here. Is there life in those cities?”

“Well, last year the Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence group based in San Francisco, sent a message to the Trappist system before this amazing discovery by the James Webb telescope. But, we have to wait approximately Thirty Nine years for that message to be received and maybe another Thirty Nine years for a reply, traveling at the speed of light. I just want to add, that we also have no known rocket propulsion that would reach the Trappist system, just a sobering reminder about the distances in space are immense and even though Trappist 1E is just Thirty Nine light years away from our Solar System, to reach the planet in theoretical way via our current technology, say a probe from Earth, would take between Two Hundred and Eight Hundred Thousand years. Now, say when sent one of our current manned rocket ships. It would take over a million years to reach Trappist 1E.”

“Dear me, I think we’re all getting ahead of ourselves.”

“The one other thing to add here and I feel that this discussion will be ongoing, which will influence possibly a philosophical and sociological implication for the human race. Is the proof that we are not alone in the Universe, however it shouldn’t feel like we can look, but we can’t touch. But, I’m just scientist and the flip side to the sobering aspect of human contact, and this is also on its calculations, is that the Trappist system maybe Nine Billion years older compared to our Solar system that formed Four point Five Billion years ago, which makes Trappist 1E twice as old as our Earth. So, they, the inhabitants on Trappist 1E would most certainly be advanced life, that’s for sure.”

*

New York City 1984

“My name is Jenny Lances, I am a psychologist and counselor appointment by the Manhattan Vocational and Technical High, so please sit down and we can have a good chat. Are you ok with that?” The woman in her late twenties says, dark brown hair, wearing a patterned one piece dress, looking at a Fourteen year old Arvie Dalens. Who nods and then sits down in front of the psychologist.

“Well, thank you for coming to see me today. I would like to start this session, by asking you how you feel about the school that you attend?”

Dalens looks down at his sneakers, then briefly at the woman sitting in front of him, her stockings and the way that she has folded her right keg over her left.

“It’s ok, I mean, I get bored sometimes in class...Y’know?” He replies.

“Which classes do you get bored with?” She asks, crossing her legs back over, whilst leaning forward. Looking briefly down at her notes perched on left knee.

In what appears to be a coy manner, Dalens looks away, staring at the window of the psychologist’s office, noting the clear blue sky. He exhales, then looks at the psychologist.

“All of them”

“What about art class?”

___

Reading:  "Dead Cities of the Stars" from RITUALS OF THE ANTITHETICAL (A.Glass 2023)