The Queen of the Rings

The coffee was smoking in the two cups, placed in front of a couple in their fifties, sitting next to each other in their dressing gowns. When did you plan this to take place? Monday, the weather's good, and besides, it's the best time to observe. You're lucky we are on holidays. The minister must have taken the stars into account when choosing the dates, she says, sarcastic. These are the few advantages of being a teacher, he says, still without looking at her, dreamy. With the weather forecast predicting clear skies for the coming days, Louis was finally about getting his telescope out. The Queen of the Rings observation window had been in his head for a year. This month, Saturn is opposite the Sun with Earth between, and observation will be particularly optimum, well lit by the Sun and visible at night. Marielle was used to these few nights a year, alone in the cold bed. That night, he took his instrument out earlier because of the temperature differential between inside and outside. It is installed in his garden on a terrace that he has set up for observing the sky. He prepared himself a thermos of hot and spicy chocolate. He checks the time and adjusts the declination and direction to point to the North Star. The computer is on. A carpet of chirping of insects covers the silence while an owl hoots at irregular intervals. The temperature is sweet in this early summer. The flowering jasmine is sweating a subtle scent. He sticks his eye in the viewfinder. He's still adjusting. It's two o'clock. In a few hours, it will be over, the earth will have revolved more, dawn will point and then Saturn will fade into the halo of the city, behind the hill, like a mistress tiptoeing out of her lover's room. He types Saturn on his keyboard. The telescope turns on its own, guided by its motor. It is now pointing at the Sagittarius constellation, straight at Saturn. The rings are visible, but he still needs to improve the sharpness. He can already see the satellite Titan. The image is gradually getting deeper, and now the rings are sharply cut out. He's still amazed to see these beautiful celestial bodies emerging from the deep dark starry field. He is contemplating Rhea, Japet, Thetis and Dione, the dance of the moons around the Queen of the Rings. What a spectacle! Cassini's division between the main rings stands out. The shades of color give an impression of proximity and relief. At Saturn's North Pole, he distinguishes the hexagon. He stands there, stuck, contemplating this marvel of a planet, this marvel of geometry, rhythm and beauty as if he were listening to a symphony. And all of a sudden, everything fades away. He stands up, frightened, and looks at the sky. Then he distinguishes large, dark masses drifting away. Clouds? That's not possible. Stars disappear as the shadow passes over. He turns his head and sees dozens of shadows, well cut out, like ships. Stars are now rarefied, appearing between the ships at intervals. Ships? He's amazed at the shapes that move silently. What altitude are they at? The countryside around him is mired in silence, even insects have stopped their chirping. He turns around, the halo of the city is erased from the horizon. Suddenly one of the ships lights up violently, revealing the other ships, he is forced to lower his eyes. He remembers the films of the Normandy landings in 1944 and the myriad of ships. He feels an unreasonable exultation, he releases his whole body. What to do? He witnesses an astounding event and all past beliefs and ideas suddenly seem obsolete and unfounded. The containment episode of COVID-19 and the crisis that followed with demonstrations, looting of stores and the lack of food, seems so far away already, a year, now a century. Marielle leaves the house in her dressing gown to join Louis in the garden. Louis, are you still there? We have no electricity, can you check it up?

French version