The cherubic Eurasian nodded. He spoke with a hint of an accent. "And none taken, my boy. And now--?" Gary glanced around the room swiftly. To be frank, he himself could not explain his secretive impulse. He knew he bore a vital message, one so important that it must never lightly be revealed, but in this snug group all were friends and allies. And he could not face the dread facts alone. He drew a deep breath, groped in his portfolio, and drew forth a packet of photographic prints. "As you all know," he said, "our expedition went to Luna to take pictures of the recent Venusian transit.[1] It is unnecessary to point out to you the desirability of the moon as an observational site. Its lack of atmosphere, cloudless skies, absence of dust particles, offer ideal conditions for astronomical photography. [Footnote 1: Periodically the planet Venus passes so exactly between our Earth and the sun that the planet is outlined against the sun's disc and may be seen crossing it slowly as a small, black dot. These events, known as _transits_, are quite infrequent, occurring in duos of eight years, separated by longer intervals alternating between 105 and 122 years. Transits of Venus occurred in 1874 and 1882, in 2004 and 2012 A.D. That observed by Dr. Gary Lane and Flick Muldoon was apparently the transit of June 11, 2247 A.D.--_Ed._] "We had hoped, on this expedition, to finally solve the mystery of the Sun's corona. Sir Arnold Gregg came near a solution when, in 2016, he determined identity between the solar corona and Earth's Heaviside layer. But his deduction needed verification--" "And--" Dr. Anjers leaned forward intently--"were you successful? You learned he was right?" Gary's voice deepened, assuming a tonal quality akin to awe. "I don't know. I have never studied the photographs to see. For my first glimpse of the developed films revealed something else. Something so great, so completely illogical yet so tremendously important that--" He paused. "But, wait! I'm going too fast. Before I continue I should tell you that we attached to our telelens a cinematic spectroscope, the better to ascertain what change of elements was taking place within the corona. "By this spectroscope may be determined the elements of sighted objects, also--" "--their speed," agreed Dr. Bryant, "in relation to Earth. But I don't see--" "You will!" promised the young man tensely. "At the moment of transit, when our cameras were focussed directly on Sol, chance treated us to a phenomenon which might not happen again for untold ages. A comet from the far depths of extra-galactic space moved within the vision of our lenses. We got a complete photographic and spectroscopic record of it!" * * * * * Blank stares met his eager pronouncement. Dr. Boris Anjers looked curious. Bryant stroked his jaw, waiting. Nora Powell laughed, her laughter a musical shard of scorn.