За разломом орла

           "SaumlakiStation.Schedarsector." 

           Hesaiditasthoughhewasalreadylosinginterest,asifthiswasaroutinehewentthroughseveraltimesaday. 

           Hemighthavebeenlosinginterest.Iwasn’t. 

           I’dneverheardofSaumlakiStation,butI’dcertainlyheardofSchedarsector. SchedarwasaKsupergiantouttowardtheedgeoftheLocalBubble. Itdefinedoneoftheseventy-oddnavigationalsectorsacrossthewholeBubble. 

           DidImentiontheBubblealready? 

           *** 

           YouknowhowtheMilkyWayGalaxylooks;you’veseenitathousandtimes,inpaintingsandcomputersimulations. Abrightcentralbulgeatthegalacticcore,withlazilycurvedspiralarmsflungoutfromthathub, eacharmcomposedofhundredsofbillionsofstars,rangingfromthedimmest,slow-burningdwarfstothehottestsupergiantsteeteringontheedgeofsupernovaextinction. 

           NowzoominononearmoftheMilkyWay. There’sthesun,orange-yellow,abouttwo-thirdsoutfromthecentreofthegalaxy. Lanesandfoldsofdustswaddlethesunouttodistancesoftensofthousandsoflight-years. Yetthesunitselfissittingrightinthemiddleofafour-hundred-light-year-wideholeinthedust,abubbleinwhichthedensityisaboutatwentiethofitsaveragevalue. 

           That’stheLocalBubble. It’sasifGodblewaholeinthedustjustforus. 

           Except,ofcourse,itwasn’tGod. Itwasasupernova,aboutamillionyearsago.