The Light

The first night after we jumped here we were surprised to find only one star in the sky; declination of minus 16 degrees, 40 minutes, right ascension of 6 hours, 45 minutes, and an apparent magnitude of minus 1.5.  It was almost exactly where we should see Sirius in our heavens.  But it was alone.

We asked our host about the star and he explained the star known as the Light was noted throughout the year and its position matched the months of the year.  Long ago it was believed that the Light was God shining down on them through the night, then when it was understood that the Light was a sun like their Sun, it was believed that it was the home of God and He still watched them from that vantage point.  Now, he explained, most people do not actually believe that God lives there on or near the Light.

Their astronomers have determined that the Light is a star like their own but bigger and it is about 9 light years away.  They have trained telescopes to observe the Light in every part of the electromagnetic spectrum.  They believe it is about the same age as their sun, and will die a few million years before their sun.

We asked him how big the universe was.  He answered that no one knows for sure.  There is an apparent radiant glow left over from the creation of the universe, but without other objects as references, the universe, as space and time may extend out away from the Sun and the Light forever, but for all practicality it is viewed as a sphere containing the two stars and their one planet.

One of us asked something about the Antropic Principle, and he answered that the universe contained but one world, and it was inhabited by life and intelligence, so that was considered very strong evidence for it's creation for them.  Humans were very important in this universe.

Pressed with more questions, he continued and told us that most of them felt either very special, as children of God or the Universe or they felt very lonely.  They also understood that the Light and the Sun would die and the universe would fall dark and that there would be no where else for them to go.  But everyone and everything dies, so it is left in the hands of God.  Perhaps they would all live in another world with another light.

We admired the beauty of his city shining bright in the dark, and asked how they were governed, and how they had achieved such a great civilization.  He seemed pleased that we recognized their advanced state.  And he told us us that as the only living intelligence on the only world in the universe they had to learn to live in peace; this was their only home, the only home they could ever have.  They could not afford to wage wars or to fight over or waste resources.  They had to share this, their home.

We asked him how this was achieved.  He told us they killed everyone who would fight, or create conflict, or refuse to share resources fairly.  They then eliminated everything and everyone that was not useful to humanity.  Then they had peace and prosperity under the Light.