Asterism 77 - Factory; Industrialization
Industrialization – the next great revolution, after agriculture.
Science and technology gained ascendancy over superstition. Humans
finally harnessed non-animal energy sources. Goods are massed produced,
inexpensive enough that a middle class finally developed, destroying the
ancient regime of the few rich and many poor. Humans find new employment,
and commerce is stimulated. Yet not without cost. Factory conditions
were once universally appalling. Some Factories still are.
While pre-industrial people worked as a holistic craftsman, they now became
replaceable cogs in the machinery itself. But in the end, it was
worth the price.
19 stars – 12 from Carina, 5 from Volans, 1 from Chameleon, and 1 from
Vela.
Right Ascension = 08h59m
Declination = -64.9 degrees
Beta Carina, Miaplacidus, magnitude 1.68, is a top corner of the box
emerging from the machine. Eta Carina, a dim star to its east, is
on the edge of the conveyer belt. Eta Carina is worth noting because
it is the star most likely to destroy life on Earth. Eta Carina,
over 100 times the sun’s mass, is too large to remain stable. In
the 1800’s, it had a magnitude of –1.0, one of the sky’s brightest stars.
Then it exploded, and disappeared to the naked eye. Against all
expectations, a large star still seethes at the site of the explosion.
Though thousands of light-years from Earth, it has the capacity to irradiate
life from Earth’s surface if/when it goes hypernova.
Copyright © 2004-2009, Joseph Schreiner
