Foundation and Earth - Isaac Asimov [179]
All three onlookers stiffened and stared, while Trevize’s mind, almost helpless with astonishment, fumbled at the computer to direct further magnification.
“Incredible,” gasped Bliss.
88.
A GAS GIANT WAS IN VIEW, SEEN AT AN ANGLE that allowed most of it to be sunlit. About it, there curved a broad and brilliant ring of material, tipped so as to catch the sunlight on the side being viewed. It was brighter than the planet itself and along it, one third of the way in toward the planet, was a narrow, dividing line.
Trevize threw in a request for maximum enhancement and the ring became ringlets, narrow and concentric, glittering in the sunlight. Only a portion of the ring system was visible on the viewscreen and the planet itself had moved off. A further direction from Trevize and one corner of the screen marked itself off and showed, within itself, a miniature of the planet and rings under lesser magnification.
“Is that sort of thing common?” asked Bliss, awed.
“No,” said Trevize. “Almost every gas giant has rings of debris, but they tend to be faint and narrow. I once saw one in which the rings were narrow, but quite bright. But I never saw anything like this; or heard of it, either.”
Pelorat said, “That’s clearly the ringed giant the legends speak of. If this is really unique—”
“Really unique, as far as I know, or as far as the computer knows,” said Trevize.
“Then this must be the planetary system containing Earth. Surely, no one could invent such a planet. It would have had to have been seen to be described.”
Trevize said, “I’m prepared to believe just about anything your legends say now. This is the sixth planet and Earth would be the third?”
“Right, Golan.”
“Then I would say we were less than 1.5 billion kilometers from Earth, and we haven’t been stopped. Gaia stopped us when we approached.”
Bliss said, “You were closer to Gaia when you were stopped.”
“Ah,” said Trevize, “but it’s my opinion Earth is more powerful than Gaia, and I take this to be a good sign. If we are not stopped, it may be that Earth does not object to our approach.”
“Or that there is no Earth,” said Bliss.
“Do you care to bet this time?” asked Trevize grimly.
“What I think Bliss means,” put in Pelorat, “is that Earth may be radioactive as everyone seems to think, and that no one stops us because there is no life on the Earth.”
“No,” said Trevize violently. “I’ll believe everything that’s said about Earth, but that. We’ll just close in on Earth and see for ourselves. And I have the feeling we won’t be stopped.”
89.
THE GAS GIANTS WERE WELL BEHIND. AN ASTEROID belt lay just inside the gas giant nearest the sun. (That gas giant was the largest and most massive, just as the legends said.)
Inside the asteroid belt were four planets.
Trevize studied them carefully. “The third is the largest. The size is appropriate and the distance from the sun is appropriate. It could be habitable.”
Pelorat caught what seemed to be a note of uncertainty in Trevize’s words.
He said, “Does it have an atmosphere?”
“Oh yes,” said Trevize. “The second, third, and fourth planets all have atmospheres. And, as in the old children’s tale, the second’s is too dense, the fourth’s is not dense enough, but the third’s is just right.”
“Do you think it might be Earth, then?”
“Think?” said Trevize almost explosively. “I don’t have to think. It is Earth. It has the giant satellite you told me of.”
“It has?” And Pelorat’s face broke into a wider smile than any that Trevize had ever seen upon it.
“Absolutely! Here, look at it under maximum magnification.”
Pelorat saw two crescents, one distinctly larger and brighter than the other.
“Is that smaller one the satellite?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s rather farther from the planet than one might expect but it’s definitely revolving about it. It’s only the size of a small planet; in fact, it’s smaller than any of the four inner planets circling the sun. Still, it’s large for a satellite. It’s at least two thousand kilometers in diameter, which makes it in the size