The Dark Twin

Chapter 1

German astronomer Johannes Kepler, court mathematician to Holy Roman Emperor Rudoff II, was astounded with the object he saw through his newest telescope on October 17, 1604. There was an object in the heavens brighter than all the other stars in the sky. Johannes Kepler knew he was looking at the explosion of a supernova, but he had no way of knowing that this supernova was in his own backyard. Nor could he know it would be the last stellar blast to occur in Earth’s vicinity throughout known history.

Our Milky Way, a spiral galaxy, contains over a hundred billion stars. Supernovas are rare, even with such a large number of stars. Astronomers expect only a few such explosions to be seen each century, as clouds of dust and gas obscure the view of much of the galaxy. Only the supernovas within a few thousand light-years of Earth can ever be seen.

If only Johannes Kepler could have traveled through his telescope and through time to see the star explode, this is what he would have observed. The star was a thermonuclear cauldron, collapsing upon itself as it used up the last of its energy until finally, the star tore itself apart. A supernova radiates so much energy—over five billion times the annual energy output of our sun—that it briefly rivals the entire galaxy of stars in which it occurs. The explosion transforms the star into a shell of hot gas that initially expands at speeds of 6,000 miles per second or more. Supernovas not only mix and heat the interstellar medium, but they may provide the hammer blows that initiate the collapse of molecular clouds and trigger the formation of new stars.

If Kepler could have seen this process, he would have seen a shock wave expanding, tearing apart everything in its path—including a large rocky planet seven light years from our solar system. As the shock wave hit the planet, it shattered into a million pieces and flung the pieces to the far reaches of the universe. One large rock from this shattered planet, 140 kilometers in length, was sent hurtling toward a far distant, medium-sized sun, which the rock will be meeting in 400 years. Tucked within the gravitational pull and in the shadow of this giant asteroid was a silent dark twin, three kilometers in length, made of solid iron.

Chapter 2

Scott Allen rubbed his weary eyes before removing another packet of computer-generated pictures taken of the sun the week before. Generally, Allen would have examined and cataloged each picture the day after the film was ready. But with so much going on in the last month, he felt lucky to even have the time to look now. Once a day, a different student of his would program the computer to look at a different part of the sun for flares. One set of prints was left unopened; a student had noted this set was programmed incorrectly and the field was too narrow to get the full flare.

Scott taught part time at the University of Oklahoma in the astronomy department. He was not a true astronomer, only an amateur who happened to become interested in flares that the sun put out on a daily basis. If the flares were large enough, they could disturb communication all over the world.

By the time Scott reached his 21-year, he had already explored most of the high mountains on earth; for a new challenge, he decided to take a team across the South Pole. Five days into the trip, a major flare from the sun put his GPS tracking system out of commission. Seven people started the trip with Scott, and only two made it back, Scott and one other. They both would have died except, had it not been for the survival skills they had learned over many years living through the worst of conditions.

This experience started Allen on the road as an amateur flare-watcher. After working for over 30 years in that field, he had become one of the top experts on solar flares and taught a class at the university.

Sipping a cup of cold coffee, Scott bent forward and began to look at the pictures from last week. Predictions called for small solar flares this time of the year, and nothing was out of the ordinary in the first 23 pictures. On the 24th picture, two small streaks of light appeared just above the small flare, where no light should be. Allen almost missed the anomaly. Slowly, Allen pulled the picture under the glass to get a better look. Stars couldn’t have made that kind of anomaly. They are stationary in the sky, at least for all practical purposes on a time exposure of less than a few hours. It looked like the streaks might be asteroid tracks.

Scott spent a few minutes making sure that his calculations were correct before he pulled up a picture on the computer screen that should match the one he had under the glass. However, the older picture in the computer did not match the other; it showed no streak of light where the newer photograph did. A smile spread across Scott’s face as he typed the calculations into the main computer. He found no notification of an asteroid sighting in this sector, no announcement from the scientific world. He had found his first asteroid! His first two, actually; each streak of light marked one asteroid.

Allen paused for a moment when he saw the date on the picture. It was taken seven days ago. Someone should have noticed and verified the two asteroids within two hours. Why no reports?

It took Allen a few hours before he realized why no one had reported the asteroids. The flare that had been photographed was at the top of the sun, the sun’s North Pole. The asteroids were diving behind the sun, and Scott’s picture had captured the last few moments before the sun hid the twins. The smile came back to his face as he typed a message to the scientific community about his discoveries. In approximately 15 hours, the asteroids would exit the sun’s protection, at which time other scientists would verify his discoveries.

Scott finished his shift a little early. He hurried to his Corvette and drove home. He was excited to tell his wife, Merry, about his discovery. Scott laughed when he thought about telling Merry that he, the discoverer, had the right to name the asteroids. He was going to name one of them after her. Merry would probably say it was pompous, but he knew she would be secretly pleased.

Allen barely stepped in the house before Merry leaned around the kitchen door and spoke. Scott, what’s going on? Your business phone has been ringing constantly for the last half-hour.

Sorry, babe. I should have called you, but I wanted to tell you in person. You are looking at the man who just discovered two new asteroids. I sent out an email with all the information, so a number of people are probably trying to contact me about it. As he spoke, the phone rang. There’s the phone again. I’ll take it in my office and get back with you in a jiffy.

The jiffy turned into three hours of calls and congratulations from everyone he knew and many he didn’t know. Hours later, Allen and Merry finally had a moment to call their children and let them know about their dad‘s latest accomplishment. To say the least, the children were thrilled.

The next day, on schedule per Scott’s calculations, the verifications started coming in. The only problem was, all the verifications finished with the question, Where is the second asteroid?

Chapter 3

Scott pored over the latest pictures of the new asteroid; sure enough, there was only one streak of light, not two as he had reported. Scott removed the week-old pictures and spent hours looking at each. Only one picture had the two streaks. After spending a full day in his office looking at all the pictures and going back again and again to the single picture that had a second streak, Scott determined that he could not scientifically eliminate the second asteroid. Something had been there, but what?

He could understand why there might only be one streak when the asteroids exited the other side of the sun. The sun’s gravitational pull could have caused the second asteroid to burn up or crash into the sun. The two pictures taken before and the three taken after the picture depicting two streaks should have them, also. Allen could only come up with one explanation: solar flare. The streaks were so close to the solar flare that maybe it hid the second asteroid in its glow. After mulling over the problem half the night, Allen talked himself into believing that was the answer.

The asteroid was big news all over the world. Every country had calculated the path of this giant asteroid and had all come to the same conclusion. The asteroid would pose no threat to Earth, but it would come extremely close to Mars on its way out of the Solar system. So close, in fact, that some scientist believed it would slightly change the orbit of Mars. Not enough for present danger, but enough so that in a few million years Mars and Saturn would be on a collision course with each other.

Scott attended and spoke at a conference held in D.C. the following month. When Allen explained his theory on the two asteroids, he was nearly laughed off the stage. All had seen and read about his theory over the last month; each would pat him on the back and make light of his mistake. Everyone said the picture with the two streaks was either a fake or dust had gotten into the lens.

The last day of the conference was held open for anyone who wanted to speak about any new or untried theory, just to get scientist’s creative juices flowing. Scott had talked himself into not giving the speech, but at the last minute, his spirit of risk taking took over, and he couldn’t shut up.

The gravitational pull of the sun on the asteroid had been slightly more than it should have been for the size of the asteroid. No matter how many times he or anyone else measured the area of the asteroid, all came to the same result. Its path should have been slightly different than it was when it exited the far side of the sun. The only explanation, Scott determined, was that there was a second, smaller asteroid, very heavy and hidden in the stream of the other asteroid. If that was the case, all the calculations were way off about Jupiter. How far off, Scott could not say.

In the last paragraph of his speech, Allen made a statement that would cause him to lose all respect in his field. Allen had postulated a number of courses the asteroids would take according to the weight of the second asteroid. One theory, and the one the newspapers latched onto, stated that if the second asteroid weighed a certain amount, when the duo came close to Mars the second asteroid would act like a giant slingshot and whip around the planet in a new direction heading toward Earth.

The media found its latest hot topic. Earth is doomed! The end of the world is coming! God’s judgment is upon us! Nostradamus’s predicted event to occur! The scientific community was embarrassed, and the university board told Allen not to speak on the subject again.

Chapter 4

Humiliated, Allen withdrew from teaching. With his daughter Cathy, he climbed one mountain after another for a full month. Cathy and her dad spent nights discussing the asteroid or asteroids and why only one of the pictures showed two. Cathy, who worked as a geologist and biologist, believed her father’s theories could be partially true. She could not match the path of the asteroid after its exit from the far side of the sun. The difference in the calculations was too big for something not to have happened. Either the asteroid came much closer to the sun than any of the computers calculated, or the asteroid weighed much more than anyone had stated. At this point, Cathy was leaning toward the first: that the asteroid went closer to the sun than any of its projected paths calculated by the scientists.

The night Scott returned from mountain climbing, all the children and grandchildren came over for a family discussion, which had lasted into the night. The family concluded that Scott should spend his time managing the small Distribution Company the family owned in Bethany, Oklahoma. The majority of items sold by the company were survival gear and outdoor hiking equipment. But through the years, the company had branched out to just about anything anyone wanted. It had customers who had shopped there for more than 20 years. The company had acquired the reputation of being able to find anything anyone wanted. Scott agreed to start the following Monday, putting more energy and time into the company than he had been.

He rolled out of bed the first morning at home feeling refreshed. After Scott and Merry finished their second cup of coffee, Scott headed to his office, to go through all of his work and bring home any papers that were his and not the Universities. He also received the official termination notice effective the previous week that the University had sent him. He decided to catalog and file all the pictures he was working on before tackling his new duties with the family company.

Saturday afternoon, Scott was going through the last stack of pictures when Merry walked in and began messaging his shoulders.

Why don’t you take a break, Scott? We could grill some steaks and sit by the pool. You started on this almost three days ago. It can wait a little longer.

That sounds good, sweetheart, but I only have two more packets to go. It won’t take me more than an hour. Go ahead and get the steaks out, and I will do the cooking.

I see three packets left, Scott. Are you not going to do this one?

Scott looked up as Merry picked up a file. It had a note scribbled on it by the student who had been working that day, saying, This set was programmed incorrectly and the field was too narrow to get the full flare. Scott remembered the packet and shook his head; those pictures would be no good for his work as the full flare would not be there.

Later, Merry checked in on him. Scott, it’s been an hour. Are you about done?

Just about, hon. I have two more pictures to file. It will take about five minutes.

Chapter 5

Merry went around straightening up items in the room as she usually did when women are inpatient and bored. Five minutes passed, and Allen began to file the last picture as Merry dragged the last packet over to the trashcan.

I’m going to throw this packet away. Is that okay, Scott?

Sure, he murmured.

Merry opened the packet and began pulling each picture absentmindedly from the packet and let it drop into the trashcan, her eyes briefly scanning each one.

That’s it, Merry. I’m all done. Allen stretched. Now, let’s go get those steaks cooking.

Merry slid the pictures a little more slowly into the trashcan. She was a little startled when Scott mentioned something about steaks.

Scott? Did you say you only found one picture with two streaks?

Yep. Out of all the pictures taken, only one showed the two asteroids.

Merry looked at the picture in her hand, then reached down and pulled all the others back out. Slowly, Merry looked at each of the pictures. Allen was already in the hall when Merry looked up.

Scott, I’m looking at a dozen or more pictures that have two streaks.

Is that right? Allen replied distantly. Where did you put the steaks? Are they still in the refrigerator?

Scott! Did you hear what I said? Merry responded.

Allen turned with a sheepish grin and apologized to his wife. I’m sorry, honey. I was thinking of something and really didn’t hear what you said.

Merry jerked the pictures in the air like she was going to sling them at him. I said, here are a dozen or more pictures, and they all have two streaks showing.

Scott’s eyes widened and his mouth worked as he tried to say something. The only thing that came out was a weak, What?

They all show two streaks, Scott, every one of them.

Allen hurried back into the room and pulled the pictures from Merry’s outstretched hand. He carefully looked at each picture in silence before turning to Merry and half shouting, I’ll be damned! I was right!

Chapter 6

Over the next two hours, Allen called the whole family and asked each to come over to help with the calculations he needed to make before he called a conference with the university. Over the next 24 hours, son and daughters and their spouses, mother and father, all worked to put together the pieces while grandchildren busied themselves and tried to stay out of the way.

When things began calming down, Allen called his family around him to explain what he thought could happen in 14 months. It was not an easy thing to discuss.

Let me just start from the beginning and tell everything I know about this. That way I won’t be repeating myself every few minutes. Then if anyone has questions I can try to answer them. I will tell you this; each of you will need to get hold of yourself and think of the family. From this date forward, the family must work as one unit if we’re going to make it through what could be coming.

"First, no one saw this coming because the asteroids were behind the sun, moving toward it for a long time. When they reached a certain point, gravitational forces came into play. The sun pulled the asteroids into a new course directly over its top and into the solar flares we were studying. If one of my students had not made a calculation error and programmed the telescope’s computer into such a very narrow range, we would never have seen the 14 pictures your mother pointed out to me. The solar flares were just strong enough to hide the second and much smaller asteroid within their gasses. But in pictures taken with the narrowed range, the second asteroid can clearly be seen.

"The asteroid can also be measured. When we estimated the path it would take once it left the sun, that’s where everyone saw the difference. By including this new weight for the second asteroid, our path matches perfectly. This second asteroid is approximately three kilometers of solid iron.

Since the second asteroid is so small compared to its big sister, we cannot get a picture of it. I’ll give you an example: if you cupped your hand around a marble and held it out, the only thing you would see would be the hand. But when I move the marble away from my cupped hand, you have no trouble seeing it. When the asteroids came close to the sun, there was a separation. That’s why we got those pictures we did. Apparently, when they came closer to the sun, the stronger gravitational pull pushed the smaller asteroid right into the belly of her sister.

There was silence for a few moments, then Allen continued. Remember that slingshot theory I wrote about? Well, it was right on the money. The big sister will come close enough to Mars that the gravitational forces will whip the small asteroid away, around Mars and directly towards Earth. When you have the weight, distance, and speed, it’s pretty easy to do the math to track a path for anything you’re seeing. I don’t see how the asteroid can miss Earth. The path is so close to Earth that the gravitational pull will act like a bull’s eye for the asteroid. It’s going to hit the Earth and in only 14 months.

If we know the asteroid will hit Earth, can‘t we do something about it? Bill asked.

"Yes, the