“Place yourself here,” said Stella, indicating one of several inclined couches and throwing herself down on one. “To give you some idea of what you are witnessing, I have arranged an interesting visualization. Here is the star as it appears to the naked eye.” I gazed up eagerly as a complete night shut out all outlines of the hall. “Where?” “Watch in the centre of the cupola above you.” “I see nothing.” “Not even a pin prick of light?” “Yes, perhaps.” “Now watch it grow as we magnify it.” The little dot of light grew into a perceptible twinkle, became a ball of fire, expanded with alarming rapidity until I shrank from it in alarm as though it were going to burst over me. “There,” said Stella when on the surface of the cupola appeared a luminous whirling molten mass almost the size of a football, revolving with staggering velocity. “We are now about to witness the gestation of a new solar system. And remember this happened twenty thousand years--light years--ago. Look!” All at once the spinning mass threw off a number of flaming particles which slowly proceeded in different directions leaving the main mass reduced at least a half in diameter. “But why is the speed so gradual?” I exclaimed, rather disappointed. “Gradual! Have you forgotten the distance we are looking across and that the slightest fraction of space traversed has to be reckoned in hundreds of thousands of miles?” “True, I forgot,” I said humbly. “But then, Stella, you can follow the whole process to the final stabilization of a new solar system.” “Certainly. Within a day the minor satellites will be arrested in their flight. Before a week is over the whole new gravital balance will be accomplished.” “Wonderful! What good luck to have seen it!” “Oh, but this is an hourly spectacle in infinity, if our telescopes only knew where to find them.” “I could remain spellbound--” “You have seen all in principle,” said Stella, flooding the room with light. “Yes, the first time you see it, it is tremendously impressive. Think, Bogardus, that we can now trace the whole creation of a world from the first solar paroxysm to the beginnings of an atmosphere, to the arrival of planets and the beginnings of vertebrate existence.” “But that is a process that covers billions of years.” “And there are billions of solar systems in infinity, Bogardus, all in different stages of growth or decay. Think of the achievements of astronomy that lie ahead of us, when we have adequate facilities for observation. When I think what another age may know!” added Stella, shaking her head impotently. “It would be amusing to show him life on some nearby planet,” suggested Acquilla. “Then other worlds are inhabited!” I exclaimed.