Hazy star gazing

Writers: Eimi, Emma
Date Posted: 9th October 2006

Characters: R'mer, Kraygh
Description: R'mer is having trouble with one of his classes
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 13, day 25 of Turn 3

The journeyman packed his things away as the weyrlings began to file out after his class on recognizing basic constellations in the Pernese sky.
It was at that point he noticed one of them waiting around.

"Can I help you?"

"Um... Yes..." R'mer hated looking like an idiot, but he was totally lost.

"Have you a question about what we just discussed?" asked Kraygh. This lad seemed to be about of an age with his brother, maybe 16, nearly 17.

R'mer shifted feet. "Well, yes. If that's all right."

"Of course it is." Kraygh gave him a smile. "What's your question?"

"You know on our starchart? It doesn't really look like the sky. I can't figure out where the constellations are on it. There are too many stars." The chart looked like someone had spilt pepper all over it!
Really, how was he supposed to pick out just four stars?

That was the first time he had been asked something like that, but then he thought for a moment, remembering the first time that he had seen a start chart. "The charts are like diagrams rather than pictures," he explained. "Surely you must use something similar to help you plan and learn your drills?"

"Yeah, I guess." Which made him feel even more like a fool. "But I don't remember there being this many stars in the sky."

"There _are_ lots of stars up there. The reason we have them as constellations is because they are so useful for reference that way.
They can be used for navigation, for telling the time or just simply to look at and admire."

R'mer could feel the heat rising to his face. "Yeah, but they all aren't the same like they are on this chart. Some are bright and some aren't. But here they look all the same."

"The same brightness, or the same colour?" questioned Kraygh, wanting to know what, if anything the lad had picked up from his class.

"In the sky? Both. But on the chart they're all the same. It doesn't look like the sky at all." His shame was starting to turn into frustrated anger. It wasn't the same! How was he supposed to understand it? Take him out under the _real_ stars and he could see maybe, but not in black and white.

"It isn't meant to be an exact representation," explained Kraygh. "It's a guide to help you learn how to look and understand the real thing.
When you go outside after dark, promise me you'll look up and think about how the two compare. Just get used to the differences between the two, then we can work on the constellations."

"Yeah, all right." Shards, did the guy really think the sky looked like a bunch of dots on a page? The sky had depth and dimension. It had levels of brightness and sizes and colors. The sky was nothing like this chart. He'd never get it.

"Once you've got used to how the two look, then we can work on how you use the chart. It'll take some time, that's all."

**I know what the stars look like, and they look nothing like your sharding charts...** "Thank you, sir. I'm sorry I took up your time."

"Not at all," replied the Journeyman, his mind already drifting to the evening he had planned with his wife. For some reason she wanted to go look at the moons again...

Last updated on the October 16th 2006

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Hazy star gazing