Magical Astronomy/Story

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Retrospective 53 minutes

Magical Astronomy

Trojan Green Asteroid

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Story

永遠の浪漫、車椅子の宇宙。 ......民間月面ツアーと物理学の共通の最大の問題点とは。

An eternal romance, the wheelchair's universe. ...What's the greatest common problem between private Moon tours and physics?

月面ツアーへようこそ

#01	月面ツアーへようこそ	Welcome to the Moon Tour "Welcome to Lunatic City."
「人類の夢の一つ、月面旅行がついに一般人も可能に！」 「来月には日本の旅行会社各社からもツアー開始」		"Fulfulling one of mankind's dreams, voyages to the surface of the Moon are finally possible for everyone!" "Tours from all of Japan's travel agencies will begin next month."
行き交う人の足取りも重い、地上の私鉄の駅前に号外が飛び交った。		The sound of heavy footsteps from people coming and going past the private railway station pounded in the air, mixed with newspaper extras flying in all directions.
スポーツニュース以外では珍しい明るいニュースに、いつもならすぐ捨てられてしまう号外も、今回ばかりは皆鞄の中に仕舞っている。号外の内容に興味があってと言う事もあるが、それ以上に記事の写真に惹かれた人も少なくないだろう。		While most only had interest in the sports section, this time, the unusually good news the extras held within caused people to hold onto them for keeping in their bags. There were some that were interested in the content of the articles, but more than that, a not-insignificant number who bought copies were captivated by the pictures.
宇宙の写真は人の心を癒す。何故なら、宇宙の写真を見ると否応無しに人間の小ささに気付かされるからだ。その時直面している苦難が、広大な宇宙に比べると如何にちっぽけな物だと感じ、癒される。こんなに宇宙が広いんだから、自分一人の努力なんて大して重要ではない。上司だって政治家だって今は亡き独裁者だって小さな人間だ。自分は自分の納得のいくまで努力すればいい。宇宙の写真だけで直感的にそう感じるのだ。		Pictures of the universe soothe the soul. The reason is that that they force one to realize mankind's triviality. For all the hardships mankind faces, the feeling one gets when comparing them to the sheer vastness of space is comfort. With a universe this immense, one's own efforts are not very important. Bosses and politicians and long-dead dictators are all insignificant humans. One should work to their own satisfaction. This feeling can be imparted just by looking at pictures of the universe.
宇佐見蓮子とマエリベリー・ハーン (メリー) の二人は、大学構内のカフェテラスで興奮した様子で会話をしていた。		Renko Usami and Maribel Hearn (Merry) were excitedly discussing the situation at a sidewalk café on their university's campus.

天空のグリニッジ

#02	天空のグリニッジ	Greenwich in the Sky "Royal Greenwich Observatory"
「『なお、今回もまた有人火星探査は見送られた』だってさ」		"They say that they're sending off a manned Martian probe again this time."
「ふーん。ま、火星探査なんてどうでも良いわ。メリー、まずは号外の記事の『月旅行』の話よ」		"Hmm. But who cares about manned Martian probes right now, Merry? What I want to talk about are the 'Moon Tours' that all the extras mentioned."
「うん、月と星を見るだけで時間と場所が判る蓮子の目に、月面がどう映るのか知りたいしね」		"Yes, for someone who can tell the time and the place just by looking at the stars and the Moon, you'd like to know what's reflected on the Moon's surface up close, am I right?"
「そりゃ『ここは月面です』って判るんじゃないかな」		"I'd know that 'I'm on the surface of the Moon,' wouldn't I?"
「時間はどうなのよ？」		"And how about the time?"
「私の目はJST (日本標準時) しか見られないのよ。UTC (協定世界時)は能力外。 　そもそも、月面でも地球と同じ時間を使うのって変よね」		"My eyes can only see Japanese Standard Time (JST). Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) is beyond my abilities. It'd be weird if the Earth and the Moon used the same time, anyway."
「ちょっとちょっと、能力外って...... ただの引き算じゃないの？」		"Wait, wait. 'Beyond your abilities?' It's just a matter of subtraction, isn't it?"
宇宙では今のところ協定世界時(UTC)を使っているが、この協定世界時は、グリニッジ標準時(GMT)と基本的に同じ物である。 グリニッジ天文台が建てられたのは17世紀である。宇宙を観る為の時間が、宇宙でも用いられると考えると、些か滑稽である。		They use UTC in space nowadays, but it's basically the same thing as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The Royal Greenwich Observatory was constructed in the 17th century. When you think about a time system designed to observe the universe to be used in that universe, it's somewhat funny.

東の国の眠らない夜

#03	東の国の眠らない夜	Sleepless Night of the Eastern Country "Vampirish Nightlife"
「で、いつ行くの？　月面旅行」		"So, when are we going? On the Moon Tour."
「メリーは気が早いわね。 　まぁきっと混むだろうし、早い内に予約だけは済ましておきたいわね」		"You're pretty impatient, Merry. Well, I'd like to get the reservations made soon as well, since I'm sure it'll be crowded."
「夏休みとかは滅茶苦茶混みそうだし、暑そうだから少しずらして秋にしない？」		"Absurdly so during summer vacation and such. Since that seems a bit warm, how about delaying it until fall?"
「月や宇宙が暑いって事は無いと思うけど、同感ね。 　秋の方が良いわ。日本的で。 　どうせなら今年の中秋の名月に行きましょうよ」		"I don't think either the Moon or space gets too hot, but I agree. Fall's nice; it feels Japanese. In that case, let's go during the Harvest Moon."
「お団子持ってね。 　そうしましょう、そうしましょう」		"And we'll bring dango! That's the ticket, that's the ticket!"
あらゆる情報が手に入る今でも、宇宙だけは永遠のロマンであった。 そのロマンの一つにして、最も魅力的な月に降り立つ事が出来れば、誰だって行ってみたいと思うだろう。		Even with all the world's information in the palm of one's hand, the universe alone remains the eternal romance. To write a line in that romance oneself, to be able to go down and stand on that most captivating Moon, would be something anyone would want to do.
だがこの時、二人はまだツアーに掛かる費用を知らなかったのだ。		However, at that point, the pair hadn't yet discovered the expense of such a tour.

車椅子の未来宇宙

#04	車椅子の未来宇宙	The Wheelchair's Future of the Universe "History of Time"
「でも、未だに有人火星探査は上手く行かないのよねぇ。 　ホーキングの頭の中にあった宇宙が、この目で確かめられる日なんて本当に来るのかしら？」		"But still, no Martian probe has met with any success so far. I wonder if we can really witness the universe that lay inside of Hawking's head with our own eyes."
「結局、ホーキングを超える物理学者が出てこないのも問題よね」		"Ultimately, the problem is that there haven't been physicists that have surpassed Hawking."
「あら、蓮子が頑張れば良いんじゃない？ 　稀有な能力の持ち主なんだから」		"Oh, but what about you, Renko? All you need to do is work hard at it. You have a rare ability, after all."
「私は専門が違うわよ。ま、プランク並みに頭が良いかも知れないけどね。それにね、ホーキングの言っていたブラックホールの蒸発とかが実際に観測される事も無いと思う。 　さらに言うと、もう人類が火星に行く事すらないと思うよ」		"I'm in a different field, but maybe I am as smart as Planck. Besides, I don't think it's practically possible to observe the dissipation of a black hole that Hawking described. More than that, I don't even think that mankind will make it to Mars."
「あら、悲観的ね。でも蓮子が言うと信憑性があるわ」		"Oh, how pessimistic. But since you're the one saying it, it's trustworthy."
「観測する為に必要なエネルギーが膨大に成り過ぎたのよ。 　理論上はともかく、事実上、観測物理学は終焉を迎えているわ。 　ついでに言うと、月面ツアーは高額過ぎるわね」		"The amount of energy needed in order to observe it is enormous. Apart from theory, even observational physics is effectively coming to an end. And while we're on the topic, the Moon Tour is too expensive."
物理学は事実上終焉を迎えている。既に物理学は、解釈と哲学の時代に突入していた。		Physics is coming to its end. The field is already rapidly plunging into into an age of interpretation and philosophy.

Demystify Feast

#05	Demystify Feast	Demystify Feast "Beyond a Veil of Mystery"
「うん。ここのカフェは構内でも割とオシャレで美味しいわね。 　で、蓮子、なんで物理学は終焉を迎えているの？」		"Yes, even though it's on campus, this café is rather stylish and convenient. So, why is physics reaching it end, Renko?"
「うん。一言で言うと観測するコストが大きすぎるからよ」		"Hmm. To put it simply, the cost of observation is too expensive."
「私達が月面ツアーに行けない理由と一緒ね」		"The same reason why we can't go on the Moon Tour, I see."
「小さい物体を分離させるのに掛かるエネルギーは、小さければ小さいほど大きいの。分子より原子、原子より核子、核子よりクオーク......。こうしてどんどんと小さくしていくと、無尽蔵にエネルギーが必要になっていくでしょ？　すると究極まで行き着くと、宇宙最大のエネルギーを使っても分離できない小さい物体に当たってしまう。この物体がこの世界の最小構成物質だって言えるじゃない。 　もう物理学はとっくに最小の世界まで辿り着いて、次を目指しているの。ここから先は観測できないから、殆ど哲学の世界ね」		"The energy needed for separating small objects becomes greater as the objects become smaller. From molecule to atom to nucleon to quark... If you keep getting smaller, you would eventually need an inexhaustible amount of energy to split them, right? And then when we finally get to the point where we find an object that cannot be separated even if we used all of energy in the universe, we could say that object was the minimum structure necessary to exist, couldn't we? Physics reached the smallest world long ago, so it's moving on to its next phase. We can't observe any further, so it's basically just the world of philosophy."
「あ、新作のケーキ、美味しそう！ 　このケーキの最小単位は合成卵と合成苺ね」		"Ah, this new cake looks delicious! Its smallest units would be artificial egg and artificial strawberry, wouldn't they?"
エネルギーの限界量は1019GeVと言われている。このエネルギー量を超えると時空に存在し得なくなるからである。ちなみにこの1019GeVはプランクエネルギーと呼ばれ、原子力の持つエネルギーの約1021倍である。		The amount of energy is said to be limited to 1019 GeV. If an amount of energy exceeded this quantity, it couldn't exist in the space-time. Incidentally, this 1019 GeV is called Planck energy, which is about as 1021 times as great as the energy created by nuclear power.

衛星カフェテラス

#06	衛星カフェテラス	Satellite Café Terrace "Satellite Cafe"
「もう、蓮子に物理の話なんて振るんじゃなかったわよ。 　一人で話し続けるんだから」		"Argh, I keep forgetting not to bring up the topic of physics with you, Renko. It always turns into a one-sided conversation."
「ごめんごめん。私の専門だからね。 　でもこのケーキ美味しいね」		"Sorry, my bad. It's just my field of study. But this cake is pretty good."
「月面ツアー行きたかったなぁ...... 　流石にこのツアー、値段が高過ぎよ」		"I wish we could go on the Moon Tour...... But of course, it costs a fortune."
「そう言えば、宇宙旅行客用に人工衛星にカフェが出来たらしいわよ？　何でも無重力で淹れた珈琲は格別だとか」		"That reminds me. Did you know they opened a café in a satellite for space travelers? They say coffee brewed in zero gravity is phenomenal."
「でもどうせ室内のカフェでしょ？ 　私はオープンなカフェテラスが好きなのよ」		"But it has to be an indoor café, doesn't it? I prefer wide open café terraces."
珈琲を一瞬だけ真空状態に晒すと、気圧の低さにより一瞬沸騰するが、気化熱を奪われた水は沸騰した瞬間に凍り付く。 この沸騰しながら凍った珈琲を入れた、サテライトアイスコーヒーが目玉メニューである。		When coffee is exposed to a vacuum even for a moment, it boils instantly because of the low pressure, but then the water freezes as soon as the heat dissipates. This boiled yet frozen coffee, Satellite Iced Coffee, is the main attraction on the menu.

G Free

#07	G Free	G Free "Zero Gravity"
「そう言えば、珈琲の抽出って重力に頼ってるじゃない。 　重力がなかったらドリップ出来ないでしょ？ 　無重力でどうやって珈琲を入れるの？」		"Now that you mention it, doesn't coffee need gravity to brew? The drops won't fall without it. How do they make coffee under zero gravity?"
「そこで今はほぼ死滅したサイフォン式が浮上してきたのよ。 　サイフォン式は蒸気圧でお湯が行き来するからね」		"That's why they've brought siphon coffee back from the dead. It circulates the hot water with vapor pressure."
「サイフォンか......。 　そう言えばもうカフェのインテリアでしか見た事がなかったけど、一応アレも珈琲の抽出道具だったよね。 　でも、ドリップより味が落ちるって聞いたけど......」		"Siphon coffee... Now that you mention it, I have seen siphon coffee makers as decorations in cafés, but I suppose they are used for making coffee, too. Even so, I heard that drip coffee tastes better..."
「無重力用に改良されたサイフォンだと、対流が起こらないから濃厚な珈琲が作れるんだってさ」		"These are siphons modified for zero gravity. Since convection doesn't occur, they can make coffee with a richer flavor."
「ふーん。そんなの飲まなくても宇宙は目が覚めそうだけどね。興奮して」		"Huh. But even without coffee, I would be wide awake in space. With excitement."
重力から解き放たれた人間は、新しい文化を築き上げつつある。だが、それと同時に、様々な道具が重力に頼って動いていたと気付かされる。 早い段階から存在は実証されていて、物理学者の頭を最後まで悩ませつづけた重力が他の力と完全に統一されたのは、つい最近の事だった。		Humans, released from gravity, are developing a new culture. But at the same time, they found that many of their tools relied on gravity to operate. It was just recently that gravitational force, which had been proven long ago and tormented physicists for a long time, was completely unified with the other forces.

大空魔術 ～ Magical Astronomy

#08	大空魔術 ～ Magical Astronomy	Celestial Wizardry ~ Magical Astronomy
「はぁ、宇宙には魅力があるわねぇ...... 」		"Wow, the universe is sure fascinating..."
「どうしたの？　溜息なんて吐いちゃって。地上にはもう魅力が無いとでも言うの？」		"What's the matter with you? Sighing like that. Is there nothing fascinating on Earth?"
「16時31分、宵の明星が見えたわ。 　地上にはもう不思議が殆ど無いからね」		"At 16:31, I saw the evening star. It's just that there are hardly any mysteries left on Earth."
「蓮子ぐらいこの世界の仕掛けが全て見えていると、もう心に虚無主義が顔を出し始めてくるのね」		"If I could see all the mechanisms of this world like you, Renko, I think I would start to become nihilistic."
「だからこそ、メリーの眼が羨ましいのよ。 　不思議な世界がいっぱい見えて。 　ついでに言うと月面の結界の切れ目も見て貰いたかったわ」		"That's why I envy your eyes, Merry. You can see plenty of mysterious worlds. Incidentally, I wanted you to see the gap in the barrier on the Moon's surface."
「ツアーが安かったらね」		"I would if the tour was cheaper."
結界は地上の産物ではなく、ただの境界だから当然月面にも存在する。 月面の結界は、煌びやかな月の都と、荒涼とした無生物の星を分けた結界である。この結界が存在している限り、月面に行ったとしても月の兎が搗いている餅も薬も手に入らないだろう。せいぜい、月の石位である。		Barriers are not products of Earth; they're just boundaries, so it is only natural for the Moon to have one as well. The barrier of the Moon is one which separates the dazzling Lunar Capital from the desolate, lifeless satellite. As long as that barrier exists, even if you went to the surface of the Moon, you couldn't get any of the mochi or medicine the Moon rabbits are making. At best, you'd get a moon rock.
「月にも忘れられた世界が隠されているはずよ。高度な文明を持ち、高貴な人が住む月の都。 　兎が不老不死の薬を搗き、太陽に棲む三本足の鳥を眺めながら、月面ツアーで騒ぐ人間を憂えているのよ。 その世界を見られるのはメリー、貴方しか居ないわ」		"The Moon may be hiding a forgotten world; a lunar capital with advanced civilization where high and noble people live. Rabbits would pound the medicine of immortality while gazing at the three-legged crow living in the sun and worrying about mankind, making a racket on their Moon Tours. You are the only one who can see that world, Merry."
「確かにね。人間が集まって開拓進みきる前に行ってみたいわ」		"You're right. I want to go before humans start gathering there and developing it all."
「そうと決まれば、準備しないとね」		"If it's decided then, let's start preparing."
「月の都を見たければ、まず月の都についてもっと勉強すればいいのかなぁ。 　大昔から忘れ去られている太古の月を。 　物語の中の煌びやかな月の都を。 　狂気の象徴である月を。 　そう、知識が境界の切れ目を明確にするからね」		"If we want to see the Lunar Capital, maybe we should learn more about it. About the ancient Moon that has been forgotten since the distant past. About the dazzling Moon capital of legend. About the Moon, symbol of insanity. Yes, information will help in clarifying the rift in the boundary."
「いやどちらかというと、まずはバイトから始めないと。ツアー代を稼ぐ為に」		"Wait, if anything, what we have to take care of first is getting a part-time job, so we can make enough money to go there."

ネクロファンタジア

#09	ネクロファンタジア	Necrofantasia "Necrophantasia"
日も暮れて夕食の時間も近いというのに、新作のケーキを平らげた二人はようやくカフェテリアを後にした。 この大学では、構内の店なら全て学生カードで清算が出来る。 毎月纏めて学費として払うのである。お金を管理するコストが減り、レジも混雑せず、さらに学生も手軽に買い物が出来て（親が学費を払うから）売り上げも伸びている。そのお陰で、予想以上に出費が嵩む事も少なくないが。		Even though the sun has set and dinner time was approaching, they had only just left the café after finishing the new cake. In this university, students can pay with a student card in any of the shops on campus. The price is collected along with the tuition monthly. It reduces the need for managing money, avoids crowded registers, and lets students shop easily (because their parents pay for the tuition), increasing sales as a result. But thanks to that, some students now find their expenses piling up much more than they expect.
「月には不老不死の薬があるらしいのよ」		"There's supposed to be an elixir of immortality on the Moon, apparently."
「不老不死ねぇ。 　物理の終焉を迎えて虚無に支配されている蓮子には不要でしょ？」		"Immortality, huh? Someone like you wouldn't need it though, would you, Renko? What with the end of physics fast approaching and nihilism taking hold of you."
「誰が虚無主義よ。 　私は生きる力でいっぱいよ。 　今は宇宙の事で興奮して夜もグッスリなんだから」		"Who are you calling a nihilist? I'm practically bursting with life. I'm sleeping soundly at night even now because I'm so excited about what the universe holds."
「じゃ、不老不死の薬が手に入ったら、蓮子は使うの？」		"Then, would you take it if you happened to get your hands on it, Renko?"
世界は急速に発展して、何処の国もある程度豊かになったが、人類は次のステージへと進んでいた。紀元前の頃から右肩上がりで増え続けた人口が緩やかに減少に転化したのだ。 資本主義は、ノアの方舟の如く経済による格差社会を増進させた。それにより何処の国も軒並み出生率が低下したが、これは全て資本主義の最終ステップである『人口調整』段階に入っただけである。 いち早く少子化が進み人口が減少に転じた日本は、人口減少によるデメリットを上手く回避し、選ばれた人間による勤勉で精神的に豊かな国民性を取り戻す事に成功した。		Although the world had developed rapidly, with just about every country enjoying prosperity to some degree, mankind itself had merely moved on to its next stage. The human population, which had continued to grow exponentially since before the Common Era, had shifted into a phase of gradual decline. Like Noah's Ark, capitalism had exacerbated society's inequalities through economics. As a result, nations across the board had shown a decline in birth rates, though this was all merely a sign that they had entered capitalism's final stage: population control. As one of the first nations to have had to turn its attention to the issues brought on by rapidly declining birth rates and population collapse, Japan was able to skillfully avoid the downsides brought about by this depopulation. Moreover, thanks to the efforts of its chosen people, it was able to successfully revitalize its national character, rich in industriousness and spirituality.
「不老不死の薬？ 　勿論、使うわよ。 　物語なんかでは不老不死は辛い物だとされているのは何故だか判る？　アレはみんな欲深さへの戒めと権力者への反抗を謳っているだけよ。でもそれが反対に、不老不死の薬の実存性の裏付けの証拠になっているわ。 　不老不死は、死が無くなるんじゃなくて、生と死の境界が無くなって生きても死んでも居ない状態になるだけよ。 　まさに顕界でも冥界でもある世界 (ネクロファンタジア) の実現だわ」		"The elixir of immortality? Of course I'd take it. You know why immortality is portrayed as a terrible thing to have to bear in stories and such? Those were all meant to serve as cautionary tales against greed and to celebrate rebellion against figures of authority. But on the flip side, the fact that those stories even exist serves as evidence in support of the idea that that the elixir of immortality is a real thing. Immortality doesn't imply the absence of death. Rather, it just implies a state of existence in which the boundary between life and death disappears, and you exist as neither alive nor dead. It'd be like a bona fide Necrofantasia—a practical realization of being in a world somewhere in between the world of the living and the Netherworld at the same time."

向こう側の月

#10	向こう側の月	The Moon of the Other Side "Megalopolis of Moon"
二人は大学の設備である噴水のある池の辺に腰掛けた。		The two of them sat by the pond that had been equipped with a fountain by the university.
既に月が顔を出しており、湖にはクレーターの無い平らな月が浮かんでいる。		The Moon was already out, and a flat Moon with no craters could be seen floating on the lake.
魔術師メリーには見えていた。 兎が薬を搗き 煌びやかな衣装を身に纏い 優雅に空を舞う天女		Merry the magician saw them: Rabbits pounding medicine; Celestial maidens wearing dazzling dresses, dancing gracefully in the sky.
水に映った月には結界の向こう側の姿が見えていた。 その月を見てメリーに名案が浮かんだ。		She saw the other side of the barrier through the Moon reflected in the water. Like the moon floating on the surface of the lake, an excellent idea floated to the top of Merry's mind.
「ねえ蓮子。 　月面ツアーが高くて無理ならば、何か別の方法で月に行けないか考えてみない？」		"Hey, Renko. If the Moon Tour is too expensive, why don't we try thinking of another way to get there?"

Afterwords

例えば、初めましてなZUNです。	For example, nice to meet you, I'm ZUN.
いやぁ、宇宙の大きさに比べたら自分なんて小さいものですね。どんな失敗をしようと些細な事。数年ぐらい進級や進学、就職できなかったとしても、宇宙の大きさに比べたらへっちゃらへっちゃら。締め切りぎりぎりで胃が痛くなろうとも鼻歌歌いながら作業できるって......。	But man, we really are tiny compared to the vastness of the universe. Any and all failure is trivial. Even if you couldn't go on to the next stage of your education for several years or couldn't get hired, it's nothing compared to the enormity of the universe. Even though the deadline is so close, it's giving me a stomachache, I can still hum a tune as I finish this...
んなわけない。人間は必死だ。締め切りは死線。胃が......。	...Yeah, right. Humans are frantic creatures. And they take deadlines literally. Ouch, my stomach...
で、宇宙旅行。行きたいですよねぇ。行きたくない？　いやいやそんな嘘つかなくても良いですよ。宇宙に行きたくなかったら、他にどこに行きたい場所があるって言うんですか。	So, space travel. Don't you want to go? You don't? No, it's fine; you don't have to lie. If you don't want to go to space, it means there are other places you want to go to, right?
実はもう民間人の月面ツアー（ただ、着陸は無いらしいが）は実現寸前なんですよね。何でも、予算は1億ドル（約120億円）。蓮子じゃないけど、	Actually, it seems that private moon tours (but without landing, apparently) are about to become reality. I hear it'll cost 100 million dollars. I'm not Renko, but:
「月面ツアーは高過ぎるよね」	"The Moon Tour is too expensive."
いやこの値段、どこが一般人向けなのか。これが資本主義が見せるノアの方舟なのか。残った地上人は情報の洪水に沈めるつもりか。 一切の休暇無しで必死に働く地上の幻想人が、気軽に月に行ける時代は来るのだろうか。	But seriously, how is that price aimed at normal people? Is this the Noah's Ark that capitalism is showing us? And should the people left on Earth drown in the flood of information? I wonder if there will come an age when the dreamers on Earth who work frantically and with no holidays can enjoy a casual holiday on the moon.
上海アリス幻樂団　ＺＵＮ　（P◯3も方舟？）	Team Shanghai Alice: ZUN　(The P◯3 is also an ark?)

Notes

3. Alternate translation by kafka-fuura

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Retrospective 53 minutes

Magical Astronomy

Trojan Green Asteroid

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