IMOA Catalog: Mona Terra Date: unknown, no more than 50,000 BIU Artist(s): unknown Style: faux-Classic Imperial Medium: planet, radiation Galactic society owes a tremendous debt to the unknown civilization of artists who sacrificed the entire habitable surface of their home planet to create the enigmatic face of the "Mona Terra." (The name has been assigned to the work by the Museum staff, based on interpretations of writings found on the planet's surface - it is unknown what name, if any, the indigenes had for the piece.) The ethereal beauty of this work of art, as well as its sheer size, speak of incredible artistic dedication. There has been some controversy about including this exhibit, since it appears from analysis of various text fragments found on the surface of the work that some of the participants objected strongly to their inclusion in it. However, it seemed obvious to the Museum Acceptance Committee that such a tremendous effect could not have been achieved without the enthusiastic cooperation of the majority of the planet's aesthetes, and so it was decided to bring this unparalleled experience to you without further deliberation. As you approach this solar system from above the Ecliptic, slow to sublight speed and establish an asynchronous orbit keeping station in the shadow of the third planet, in the equatorial plane (mind the large satellite!) approximately 7 diameters from the surface. Allow your optical receptors to adjust to the dimness of the unlighted side. In no more than a dozen gstu, the hemisphere you seek will rotate into view. There, on the black surface of this barren planet, you will see the glowing green outlines of the Face, its eyes, nostrils and pedipalps all conforming with eerie accuracy (considering how little contact the inhabitants of this world must have had with the Intergalactic Union) to the classical pre-Union Imperial ideal of beauty. Look quickly, for the half-life of the radioactives responsible for the Mona Terra's inscrutable expression is less than a quarter-turn of the local Galactic wheel, and the Museum's efforts at restoration have been forced to a halt by recent budgetary decisions. (If you should choose to make a tax-deductible donation, Museum staff are available at the nearest gas giant to help you.) [NEXT] [PREVIOUS] [HOME] [EMAIL]
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