"Can we see the galaxy another day." a winy-tiered voice came from the back seat. I threw an amused glance at Sarah, who laughed her clear, sweet laugh."No, Aurora. Your daddy has been working here for only a few days. We have a few more and then we have to go back home." Sarah explained to our kids. "But I've seen this many times before. It really is worth the late night. So please be a good girl; you can sleep after we arrive. Okay?"From the back seat, I heard a pout-ey. "Okay."I turned onto the narrow road leading to the Keck Observatory, winding my way up the mountain. The dense forest on either side of the road was a blur as I navigated the curves, the engine of our SUV growling with each acceleration. As we climbed higher, the air became colder and thinner. I glanced at Sarah, who leaned back to ensure Aurora and Leo were well bundled up in blankets to keep them warm.Glancing in the rearview mirror, I saw them sleeping soundly, all complaints gone.We drove silently, except for the tires crunching against the gravel road. Soon, we reached a point where we were going into the clouds, the mist becoming so thick that we could barely see a few feet ahead. I turned on the car's headlights, their beams creating a blurry tunnel in the mist.The car's windshield wipers worked overtime to keep the water droplets from obscuring our vision, but it was a losing battle. Despite the low visibility, I kept my foot on the gas, determined to reach the Keck Observatory.Sarah turned to me, her expression a mix of concern and awe. "This part is always amazing. Somehow this makes it feel like we're driving into another world. Really sets the atmosphere," she said.I nodded in agreement, taking in the surreal landscape around us. The mist hung thick in the air, making it impossible to see the tops of the trees or the sky above. We were suspended in a dreamlike world, cut off from the rest of the universe.At some point, I didn't notice the trees disappearing, replaced by barren rock. We just kept going. Then driving below the speed limit, Sarah pointed out the sign warning us that we were about to reach the rest area.Glancing in the rearview mirror at the kids, I asked, "So do you think we wake them up here or when we get there."I could feel Sarah's mischievous smile. "I think a total surprise is best. Let's wake them up when we reach the observatory."I nodded and gripped the wheel, emotionally preparing myself to see the moon roof of the planet.The Keck Observatory was situated at the summit of Mauna Kea, the highest point in Hawaii. As we drove up the final stretch of the mountain road, the clouds seemed to try to be even more dense. The headlight and windshield wipers struggled to keep us safe and on the road.Then, the mist cleared without warning, revealing the whole night sky.It was a breathtaking sight. The stars shone so bright and numerous that I could reach out and touch them. At the very least, almost reach them. The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a luminous river, and the constellations were so clear that I could almost make out their shapes.The lack of light pollution was terrific. The sky was so dark that the stars twinkled even brighter against the inky blackness. I had never seen anything like it, making me feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme.Sarah let out a gasp of amazement. "It's even more beautiful than I remembered," she said, her voice hushed with awe.I nodded to myself. "Somehow, it always is."I poked my wife and nodded to the back seat. She quickly got the low-light camera out and whipped it around to record the kid's expressions.Just in time too. Through the rearview mirror, I could see the kids stirring in their seats, drawn out of their sleep by the sudden change in scenery. Aurora's eyes widened in wonder as she took in the view while Leo babbled excitedly, pointing at the sky. They both went from napping to awe-struck in a flash. And Sarah recorded all of it.I recognized that look on my children's faces. Especially the shine in those eyes. I saw that expression in every new grad student or person who came with me on this observatory trip. I saw that in Sarah's eyes when I brought her with me when we were still in college. And I had the same look when I came here with my parents as a teen. That was when I decided to study the stars for a living.We parked the car and stepped out into the crisp mountain air. The temperature was freezing, but the view made it all worth it. We all stood there in silence for a moment, taking in the majesty of the night sky. The kids bundled in their blankets stood leaning against us to not fall over as they craned their necks in every direction to see the entire galaxy.We arrived early, with plenty of time for my observatory slot. After I gave my silent children a minute to take everything in, I walked over to the SUV. I pulled out a telescope and a telecamera. I placed both in the appropriate spots. Without needing a flashlight, I could set everything up and take some photos for my collection.I enjoyed showing the results to my wife and kids, finding great joy in their squeals of happiness.As we stood there, mesmerized by the view, I heard the door to the observatory open behind us. I turned to see the previous astronomer walking out with a warm smile."Isaac! You made it! You should have come in and let me know it was time," he said, his voice tinged with amusement.I chuckled in response. "Sorry, we were a little distracted by the view," I said, gesturing toward the sky and then at my kids, making circles around each other and staring at the sky.The astronomer nodded, his eyes sparkling with understanding. "I know the feeling," he said. "I could never get my wife or kids to come up here with me, no matter how much I tried." Smirking as he walked up to me, he added, "Lucky dog."I nodded, smiling, uncomfortable, not knowing what to say. Sarah saved me. "We are lucky he takes us with him, honestly."I saw my colleague roll his eyes and walk towards his car, waving a hand. "Be safe. She's all yours."I nodded in agreement and turned to my family. "Alright, guys, let's go. We've got a long night ahead of us," I said, gesturing for them to follow me.Sarah walked behind me, wrapped her arm around mine, and leaned close."I'll let the kids have their fill of stargazing, and then I'll bring them inside to sleep in the dorm room," she said in a low voice, as if not to disturb the quiet of the night.I nodded in agreement. "Thanks, babe. I don't want them getting too tired," I replied, grateful for her thoughtfulness.Before she released me to go back to the kids, she kissed me on the cheek, followed by a shove in the back to get me going to my work.I walked into the observatory's control room and flipped on the lights. Every time I squint expecting a bright light, I'm reminded that someone had the forethought to make dim, warm lights just enough not to trip in this room. The brightest things in the room were still the computer monitors.I walked over to the station and logged into the system, checking the telescope program I had sent earlier. Everything was in order, the progress bar slowly moving from left to right as the system re-positioned the telescope to where I needed it and focused at the right focal length.As I waited for the telescope to finish its short but slow travel, I double-checked my notes, ensuring everything aligned just right. I was aiming for a specific set of stars that I had identified as the best targets for my research.With the telescope now in position, I checked the cameras to ensure they captured everything adequately. I made some final adjustments to the focus and zoom. Then I settled in for a long night of data collection and analysis.When Sarah walked into the control room, I stared at the progress bar, willing the telescope to move faster. I turned to see her, smiling at the sight of her. "How are the kids?" I asked.Sarah walked over to me and sat in the empty chair. "Got tuckered out and sleepy. I had to catch Leo from falling over. They're all tucked in and sleeping in the dorm room. I set up some sleeping bags on the cots for them," she said softly.I nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Sarah. You're the best," I said, grateful for her support. Just then, the progress bar finished while I wasn't watching. With a soft ding, the first images started coming in.I stared intently at the screen, watching as the first images started to be rendered. But something wasn't right. There was something wrong. From memory, the configuration of the stars and clarity was supposed to be different. I furrowed my brow, studying the data closely, trying to figure out what went wrong.As I was staring at the screen, Sarah looked at the screen, too, and asked. "Is that blob supposed to be there?" pointing at the screen.I looked closer and saw that she was right. There was a strange, blurry patch in the middle of the image. My heart sank. I was expecting to see something else."No, it's not," I replied, shaking slightly. I immediately began to review the list of potential issues in my head.Could it be a problem with the telescope? Maybe something was obstructing the lens, or there was a problem with the focus.I ran some diagnostic tests quickly, but everything seemed to function properly. I checked the camera settings, but they were all set correctly. I even opened the last dozen images and couldn't notice the blob in them. Everything was set up and functioning correctly.I turned to Sarah, hoping she could give me some inspiration and luck. Her eyes were locked on the screen with a contemplative expression. "Maybe something in space is blocking the images," she suggested.I felt the blood drain from my face. I hadn't considered that possibility. "It's possible," I said, "but there shouldn't be anything. Last time this area was photographed, it was a clear shot to the star cluster I'm measuring today."Sarah shrugged. "Okay. So maybe something floated in from somewhere. You know, like a dust cloud, or heck, maybe aliens were burning donuts?"I thought for a moment, considering her idea. She was correct; space was big and full of mysteries and surprises. Maybe this was just another one of them. Not the alien's thing, the dust thing. The last images from this angle and direction were around 5 years ago. And the area, in general, wasn't documented for the past few years either. Something must have changed."Alright," I said, "let's assume it's something in space. Let's go look with our own telescopes."Sarah raised an eyebrow at me. "Wouldn't this one be better to show us what it is?"I shook my head, getting up. "Unfortunately, yes and no. Yes, because it's more powerful, I have no idea what settings I need to get a clear image. And I still need to do my measurements. So I'll let the program run."Sarah and I quickly went outside, the cool night air biting our skin. We headed over to the smaller telescope she and the kids had used earlier. Luckily, it was still set up, and we wasted no time getting it pointed in the same direction as the larger telescope.With the eyepiece in place, we began testing different focal lengths, hoping to get a clearer view of the strange anomaly. We tried several different settings, adjusting the focus and aperture as we went along. Still, the blur remained stubbornly in place and out of focus.Sarah frowned. "So, no idea what it is?" She was looking through the telescope when she suddenly froze. "Um, baby, what does it mean that the blob moved a bit, and a new set of stars appeared?"I shook my head, equally puzzled. "It means it's an object at an unknown distance close to the focal length needed to create a dip in luminosity. But how would that even happen?" I began considering our options, running through different ideas in my head. "Let me look."Sarah moved out of the way, and I watched intently. The blob was moving. Slowly and as it did, it blocked a distant star.I scrambled, grabbed my notebook from my pocket, and scribbled down the coordinates, angles, and everything else we needed to share this discovery with our colleagues. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I didn't want to waste a second of it."Sarah, we need to take a closer look at this," I said, already planning the next steps. "I think we should call up some other researchers and see if they can help us get a better look."She nodded, smiling. She seemed infected with my excitement. "Definitely. Is this something huge? Like once in a lifetime huge?"I nodded fervently, not able to formulate the words correctly. With the information safely recorded in my notebook, we carefully dismantled the telescope and camera, packing them into their cases. It was a delicate process, but Sarah and I had worked together on this many times before."Alright," I said, zipping up the last case. "Let's go inside and ask for help."Sarah nodded, a smile spreading across her face. "It still shocks me that you telescope nerds have a group chat for this sorta thing."As we returned inside, I couldn't help but tease Sarah. "I bet you have group chats with political nerds."She chuckled, shaking her head. "Well, someone has to be the diplomat in this relationship," she said, her tone light. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "What do you guys talk about?""Well, we debate the merits of various space missions, argue about the latest discoveries, and generally geek out about all things astronomy," I said, grinning.Sarah rolled her eyes playfully. "Sounds thrilling. Meanwhile, I'm out here making progress in the real world."I feigned offense. "Hey, astronomy is real progress! We're exploring the unknown, uncovering the mysteries of the universe. What could be more exciting than that?"Sarah chuckled and ambushed me with a hug and a kiss. "And that's one of the many reasons I love you."I involuntarily blushed, cleared my throat, and pulled out my phone. "I love you too. Can you make sure I type this in correctly?" I took a photo of the coordinates, the blob from the screen and then typed a request to have people recheck my findings. Handing the phone to Sarah, I read the coordinates out loud, and she confirmed I had typed everything out correctly.Holding me back the phone, Sarah yawned and said, "I would love to keep you company or try for a third, but I need to drive down the mountain in the morning, so I'm going to sleep in the dorm too." She winked at me and turned to leave with a flirtatious wave. "Have fun with the other space nerds."I felt my cheeks flush as Sarah's words lingered in my mind. Part of me wanted to throw caution to the wind and join her in the dorms, but I knew important work was needed. I took a deep breath, trying to push the thoughts aside and refocus on the task.I returned to the lab computer spitting out image after image from the telescope. I pulled out my laptop and started typing a more detailed report of our findings. Then I remembered I didn't hit send on the phone. Quickly, I pulled the phone out of my pocket, checked the message, and hit send.As I waited for responses from the others, I couldn't help but replay Sarah's flirtatious wave in my head. But I knew we had to stay focused on the task.Thankfully someone was awake and posted an update on the forum. "Responding to @IssacShepherd blob confirmed from..." followed by details of his location angles used, etc. As I finished reading the first message, the second one came in with the same confirmation.As I read through the confirmation messages, an idea struck me. We had the coordinates of the blob, and now with confirmation from other observers, we had multiple observation angles. Is it possible to use trigonometry to calculate the distance to the object?I quickly opened a trigonometry calculator program on my laptop and plugged in the numbers. I knew this was a bit of a stretch, but I couldn't help the excitement I felt as I worked through the equations.After several minutes of calculations, the program finally spits out a number. I sat back, stunned. Could it be? According to my estimates, the object was much closer than we had initially thought. The margin of error was plus or minus a light year, so close was relative.For the rest of the night, as more confirmations came in and new longitudes of astronomers came online, we got more and more confirmations of the blob. And more and more measurements for the calculator.I was so engrossed in my work the whole night that I didn't realize the time. Out of nowhere, I felt a kiss on my ear and smelled the aroma of fresh coffee. I jumped in my seat, tripping over my numb feet and tumbling."Sorry to startle you," Sarah said, laughing as she held a cup of coffee. She looked down at me. "But I thought you would want to know that it's morning and your time will be up soon." She extended a hand and helped me up.I grinned at her. "Oh really? That's too bad. I've been keeping tabs on the 'blob' and a few dozen other 'space nerds,' and you will not believe this. We have the distance narrowed down to between a few light months and a few light years. But a few people wrote and ran a comparative algorithm. This object wasn't there or anywhere a few years ago when the area was last imaged." I ran out of breath and got lite headed simultaneously, forcing me to sit down.Sarah raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her coffee. "Oh really? Care to share more?"I shook my head, catching my breath. "Not yet. Well, I mean, that's all there is."Sarah smiled, leaning in to kiss me again. "Good. And your actual job? You know, the one we flew from one end of the country to the opposite."I looked at the computer. A message about the program completed was displayed prominently. "Oh yeah, that's done too." I ensured that the data was transferred to my personal drive and the next person's program was cued in the system and shut down the control room computer.Sarah and I quickly packed our things and headed out of the observatory to put our stuff in the car before waking up the kids. We walked outside to a stunning view of the sunrise over the mountains. We were both silent, taking in the breathtaking scenery.Suddenly, we heard laughter and squeals from inside the dorms. We smiled at each other knowingly and walked inside to find Aurora and Leo playing instead of sleeping. Sarah waited with the kids while I took our things to the car and came back for the kids.We wrangled the kids together, handing them packed sandwiches, and got them to sit still long enough to enjoy the sunrise and food. The kids groaned but quickly did as they were told. We got into the car and drove to our hotel.The following is an expert taken from the website "The Illuminati Insider"As I sit in my darkened basement, scrolling through online forums, I can't help but feel a sense of impending doom. It started innocently enough - I stumbled upon a thread where a group of astronomers were discussing a strange object they had been tracking. At first, it was just a passing curiosity, but the more I read, the more I began to connect the dots.This object - this "blob" - had just appeared out of nowhere. No one had any record of it before, and it seemed to be moving closer and closer to Earth. And yet, the mainstream media remained silent. It was as if they were trying to keep the public in the dark, to prevent mass panic.But I know better. I've been reading the signs. The increased sightings of UFOs. The mysterious disappearances of people who dared to speak out about extraterrestrial life. It's all part of a cover-up, a conspiracy to keep the truth from the masses.And what is the truth? The truth is that we are not alone. The truth is that the aliens are coming. They are here, and they are planning something big.I've seen the patterns, the messages hidden in plain sight. The crop circles, the strange symbols etched into the earth. It's all part of their plan.And now, with this "blob" getting closer, I know that the invasion is imminent. They are coming to take over, to enslave us all. And the worst part is, no one will believe me.But I won't be silenced. I will continue to spread the word, to warn the people. They may call me crazy, but I know the truth. And when the aliens come, they will see that I was right all along.So I urge you, dear reader, to open your eyes. Look to the skies. The truth is out there, waiting to be uncovered. Don't be caught unprepared when the invasion comes. Stay vigilant, and above all, trust no one.
